


Quarantined (Theyna)

by thaliagraceme



Series: Theyna AUs [5]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, The Kane Chronicles - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, COVID-19, Enemies to Friends, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Fluff and Romance, Fluff and Smut, Lesbian Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano, Lesbian Sex, Lesbian Thalia Grace, Lockdown AU, M/M, Quarantine, Sapphic, Smoking, Smut, Theyna - Freeform, Underage Drinking, enby, non-binary thalia grace, quarantined, they/them pronouns for Thalia Grace, wlw
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:47:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 179,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26637568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thaliagraceme/pseuds/thaliagraceme
Summary: Thalia had never thought that they’d be the kind of person to room with a stranger, but there they were, starting college, and sharing an apartment with a stranger.It’s hard to get along with Reyna when she’s so easily irritated, and Thalia’s so easily irritating.What happens when the government issues a lockdown and they’re stuck quarantining together?
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Hazel Levesque/Frank Zhang, Jason Grace/Piper McLean, Nico di Angelo & Will Solace, Thalia Grace/Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano
Series: Theyna AUs [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2060007
Comments: 102
Kudos: 220
Collections: Favourite Percy Jackson Fics, Heroes of Olympus, Percy Jackson, Trials of Apollo, heroes of olympus+ fic, theyna





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So! Hello guys :) hope everyone’s doing okay!  
> Sooo I just kind of got this idea from like... our reality rn basically ajdjsksksk 
> 
> Anyway, I personally use she/they pronouns and I’m bi so I thought writing a fic with my two favs as enby and lesbian/bi would be a good idea!!! gaah i hope i don’t butcher it. 
> 
> anyway! hope you guys enjoy this story! I’ll be updating regularly. It won’t have too many chapters x 
> 
> ps: the ratings are for a lot of swearing and there’s defo gonna be some potential smut in the middle (i’ll put a note before the chapter for sure). There’s also mentions of alcohol and smoking (tobacco / weed) soooo yeah! anyway :) enjoy!

**Chapter i**

Thalia wouldn't exactly call themselves an introvert. But they weren't exactly big on meeting new people either. It's not that they had social anxiety or anything. They just... disliked people. Mostly. Their mother? Horrible. Father? He was basically a stone, except stones have a little more personality and emotions. Their stepmother? Worse than Satan. Men, in general? The absolute worst. Women? Pretty... but meh. 

Really, they could only stand their friends and baby brother. They had practically grown up with Annabeth, Percy. Then, Jason came along and he was practically the best thing to ever happen to them. They didn't mind the twins much, their older siblings. Artemis, at least, was pretty cool. But she travelled a lot. Apollo was too much of an arrogant shit to give a damn about anyone else.

Mostly, it was just them and Jason growing up, and they liked it that way. 

So, when they had decided to room blindly when they went off to college, it came as a surprise to everyone, themselves included. They weren't exactly fond of dorms, so they wanted to look for apartments. Except, their dad had told them that they had to learn how to survive in the real world on their own! Or something along those lines, so they had to earn their own rent. Of course, they knew he wouldn't exactly let them get in trouble, but they always liked a challenge, so they found a job pretty quick during the summer, which they would hopefully be able to keep throughout the year and started apartment hunting. 

Percy and Annabeth had offered them a place in their shared apartment, but frankly... Thalia didn't want to be anywhere near their private home at night. And sometimes during the middle of the day. Sometimes even— okay, let's not get into that. Anyway, they thought it best to find their own place. 

They found an ad someone had posted online pretty quick. Another freshman looking for a roommate. The apartment was located about 20 minutes away from campus by train, which was fine by Thalia because it meant rent was cheaper. 

The only catch was that they had to be "okay with two large dogs." Thalia loved dogs, so that really wasn't a problem. As nervous as they were, they were still excited to move out of their dad's house and start living a life of their own. Get that degree in art, find a good source of income, and possibly never have to rely on their father and his money ever again. 

The only downside about moving out was leaving Jason behind since he was still in high school. But at least, they would both be in the same state. They could see him over the weekends. 

Annabeth had helped Thalia move in. They didn't bring much with them. One bag for all their clothes, another for their art supplies, two of their guitars, and a few of their personal belongings that they could never live without: their record collection, some framed pictures, their camera, tiny figurines. Really, it wasn't much. It only took them both a single trip to get the stuff up to the fourth floor. Unfortunately, the elevator was not working and Thalia was so thankful for all those workouts Annabeth had forced them to join her on. They weren't breathing _too_ hard by the time they had dropped all the things on the ground in front of the apartment door. 

If Annabeth ever tells you that Thalia had taken a ten-minute break to just lie down on the ground and try and catch their breath, she would be lying. 

Thalia had thought a lot about their roommate and what they might have been like. They only knew her name, Reyna, that she owned two large dogs, and that she was enrolled at Columbia University. Thalia herself was going to be attending New York University. The apartment itself was halfway to either campus, which should work out fine, they imagined. They'd have to do the trip before classes began to familiarize themselves with the train lines. 

Given what little they knew about this Reyna, Thalia had assumed that she was a cute, bubbly freshman with an infinite love for puppies, and boy, were they wrong! 

As soon as Annabeth had rang the doorbell, the floor practically shook as dogs started barking so loud, Thalia thought they might have broken the sound barrier. 

" _Aurum! Argentum! Sileo!"_

The dogs quieted down instantly. 

Thalia glanced at her friend with an eyebrow raised. They were both just as confused and a little frightened. 

"I'm pretty sure that wasn't English," Thalia whispered and Annabeth nodded in agreement. 

"If I had to take a guess, I'd say that was Latin," Annabeth explained and Thalia couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculousness. They had heard of people training their dogs in German, or even French, but a dead language? Talk about crazy... 

"Latin? Who trains their dogs in Latin?" 

Just then the door opened, and Thalia was taken aback by the person standing before them. Reyna, she assumed, was pretty tall. Thalia had a few inches on her, but even in sweats, they could tell Reyna had never-ending legs. She was staring at Thalia with piercing black eyes, a few loose strands of dark hair falling over her face as the rest of it was tied back in a long braid. 

Reyna looked... intimidating, if Thalia was going to be honest. They held out their hand hesitantly. 

"Hi! Reyna, right?" 

Reyna's gaze moved from Thalia, to Annabeth, and back to Thalia's extended hand. She looked at their _many_ rings uncertainly before shaking Thalia's hand firmly. 

"Yeah," Reyna nodded, letting her hand fall back to her side. Thalia peaked over her shoulder and noticed the two dogs sitting a few feet behind their owner, their ears perked up threateningly. See, Thalia had been imagining two Labradors, or maybe some sort of shepherd. Pit Bulls, worst case scenario, though they really adored pities. They had the cutest puppy eyes and looked like baby seals! Thalia was definitely NOT expecting two large greyhounds. The one standing closest to Reyna had shiny grey fur while the other one was much lighter, his coat a rusty, almost golden brown. They didn't look too friendly... 

"Thalia, right?" Reyna asked and Thalia slowly moved their eyes away from the dogs and to Reyna, though they were afraid the dogs might pounce of them at any given moment. It wasn't too late to turn around and leave, right? But then again, the four flights of stairs were hell... Thalia was lazy enough to put their life at risk. 

"That's me, yeah," they confirmed, nodding their head as their eyes trailed back to the two dogs whose eyes were transfixed on the two newcomers. "That's Annabeth. She's helping me move my stuff around." 

Annabeth smiled brightly at Reyna, extending her own hand. "Yeah, without me, they'd be practically useless," she laughed as Reyna shook her hand. 

"Hey!" Thalia complained with a pout, slinging their backpack onto their other shoulder. Reyna was going to invite them in soon... right? 

"What? It's true," Annabeth defended with a small smirk. 

Thalia rolled their eyes and turned to look at Reyna to explain what Annabeth had really meant (that they were actually the greatest person alive), only to find Reyna watching them carefully instead. 

"I'm not _completely_ useless, she's just exaggerating!" Thalia tried to explain but Reyna only shook her head, letting out a small chuckle. 

"No, it's cool," she said. "Come on in," she gave them a smile before opening the door further and Thalia couldn't help but notice how pretty Reyna's face was when she smiled. Maybe living with a complete stranger wouldn't be so bad. 

They grabbed as many of the bags as they could and Annabeth helped with the rest. Reyna led the way down the hall, past the dogs who stayed put but Thalia noticed their tails wagging at such a fast rate that shouldn't have been possible. Well shit. Were they that excited to devour them? 

"That's the bathroom, right there," Reyna pointed at a door to the right. "And this is your room. I know, the bedrooms are kind of small, but it's the middle of New York City, so...They're quite cozy, though." 

Reyna pushed open the bedroom door and let Thalia step inside first. It was indeed much smaller than their room back home, but Reyna was right. Thalia could imagine it becoming their own comfortable space. There was a queen-sized bed pushed against the back wall. A desk was sitting opposite the bed, next to the door which would probably hit the side of the table if it were open all the way. Thalia could deal with that. There was also a single cupboard built into the side wall, and another small wooden bedside table with a reading lamp on top. 

Thalia set down the bags by the door and walked over to the small window, pulling the curtains open. They could see the street below; some Manhattan back-alley. It wasn't too busy, and the sound of traffic wasn't too bad up here. They could get used to this. Plus, the fire escape seemed much more comfortable for a late-night smoke compared to hiding in the shower back home so her parents wouldn't catch her. 

"It's perfect!" Thalia exclaimed, turning around to face Reyna. She was surprised to find the two greyhounds in the room. One of them pounced on the bed, taking up the whole mattress, while the other started sniffing around their belongings. Thalia's eyes widened in slight fear and they ran nervous fingers through their short and choppy hair. "Are they... you know...?" 

Reyna let out a small laugh through her nose, shaking her head. "They're harmless," Reyna assured her. Well, tell that to the glaring eyes! Thalia found it hard to trust her words. "Trust me, I wish they were as scary as they seemed," she chuckled. "Aurum, Argentum," Reyna whistled and the dogs got up and stood by her side, but not without whining. 

Thalia watched in worry as Annabeth crouched down to the dogs' level and held out her hand slowly. The grey one started sniffing her hand for a few moments before letting a small bark and pouncing on her, pushing her flat against the ground. Thalia yelped in fear, assuming her best friend was long gone, but instead of using its sharp nails and razor teeth, the hound was too busy licking Annabeth's face clean. Thalia bet she regretted putting all that makeup now. 

Annabeth was giggling as she tried to tackle the dog to get back up on her feet, but the other one was circling around her, pacing excitedly. Thalia thought it could probably start flying like a helicopter if it's tail started moving any faster. 

"Argentum," Reyna called out, a desperate whine in her voice. " _Descendo,_ please!" She was practically begging, clearly tired of her dog's antics. "Why can't you be nicer, like your brother, huh?" She told the dog as it got off Annabeth and came to stand next to her. Reyna still scratched his head though, and Thalia couldn't help but think _cute._

 _"_ I'll leave you to get comfortable, then. I need to get to work, anyway." Reyna nodded once before leaving the room, the two hounds following her down the hall. 

Annabeth grinned as she closed the door and flopped down on the stripped mattress where the dog, Aurum, as Thalia now knew, was previously sitting. 

"She seems nice," Annabeth started and Thalia nodded in agreement. 

"Yeah, I think this could work. Long as those hounds aren't always that friendly!" 

Annabeth laughed and sat up straight in bed. "I thought you loved dogs." 

Thalia waved her hand in the air. "I do! I'll just—," they sighed, walking over to their bags on the ground. "It'll be fine," they reassured themselves. 

"One thing though," Annabeth started, joining her next to the large pile of bags. 

"Yeah?" 

"Do not flirt with your roommate and make yourself homeless." 

Thalia turned to give her friend an offended look. "Why do you just assume that I can't keep it in my pants?" 

"Because you can't?" 

Thalia rolled their eyes. "Oh, shut up! I so can. It's been what... a week?" 

Annabeth shook her head at Thalia. 

"Besides, she's not even my type," Thalia muttered, unzipping the bag that contained her clothes. 

Annabeth snorted, letting out a loud laugh. "She's definitely your type." 

Annabeth was right, of course. There hardly ever was a girl that wasn't Thalia's type. But they would never let Annabeth have that satisfaction. 

———

As it turned out, Thalia did not get along with Reyna as well as they thought they would have. Aurum and Argentum were great. The hounds actually knew personal boundaries better than Thalia had thought, though most of the time they didn't really mind it when Argentum followed them into their room, or sometimes even the bathroom. It was just an overly-friendly dog, after all, who enjoyed belly scratches so much more than his appearance gave off. A dog that scary looking should not be so cute. 

Reyna wasn't all that friendly, though. Well, she wasn't mean or anything, she was just... kind of infuriating? 

For starters, she always had her nose stuffed in a book at home, so Thalia couldn't watch her favorite comedy shows or cartoons in peace. What was the point of that flat screen television if they couldn't make use of it? Thalia had to resort to using their tiny laptop and earphones. 

Reyna apparently also hated _any_ loud noise. So, Thalia couldn't really practice their guitar playing much without being "nicely" asked to tone it down. Thalia would also resort to using earphones, which was much more annoying when playing an instrument. How were they supposed to jump around and pretend they were on a stage, playing an incredible solo to tens of thousands of fans? 

Thalia also found out that leaving dirty art supplies around the apartment was not a very good idea. The rage in Reyna's eyes when some paint had accidentally gotten onto her textbook... Thalia's father had nothing on Reyna! 

And lastly, Thalia found out that using up all the hot water was also not the best thing to do. Personally, they preferred really long hot showers that lasted anywhere between thirty minutes and over an hour in the mornings. Reyna also liked to shower in the mornings. Which meant that when Thalia was taking one of their long showers, it almost made Reyna late to her class, and Thalia had earned themselves a scolding. They did feel a little guilty about that, but the yelling was totally unnecessary! 

It was too late to find any new apartments, and frankly, Thalia truly believed that Reyna could be much more pleasant if she weren't always so stressed with work and college, but they had never had the chance to see her so comfortable. So, mostly, Thalia tried to stay out of her hair to avoid any unnecessary scary chastisement. 

It worked for the most part, but weeks had passed and Thalia still had no idea who her roommate really was. They had stalked her Instagram and twitter a little, even her Facebook which had nothing on it but baby pictures family members had her tagged in. Thalia knew her last name, the fact that she was Puerto Rican, and also came from a rather rich family. She had a sister who looked a lot like her in pictures, and there was always another lanky boy who appeared over and over again. A best friend, or a boyfriend, Thalia presumed, though he had never come over, and they had never caught Reyna talking to him or about him. But that was all they could find from social media. 

There wasn't even much around the apartment to figure out who Reyna Ramirez-Arellano really was, except for a neat freak who was pretty much a nerd. 

Thalia thought that the best way to get to know someone was to get them drunk. So, they decided to throw a party. Of course, they asked Reyna first, and though she was reluctant, she agreed as long as the apartment wasn't trashed. That was all the confirmation Thalia needed before sending Percy and Annabeth a message, asking them to invite people over. 

The place ended up filled with a little over twenty people. Most of them were Thalia's friends, but they noticed a small group of people that Reyna had invited. The four of them sat in the kitchen the entire night, drinking casually and staying out of Thalia's pretty drunk and rowdy friends' way. 

When Thalia had gone to the kitchen to grab another beer, they recognized one of the boys from Reyna's pictures on Instagram. The music wasn't too loud, to avoid being thrown out by their landlord, so Thalia could hear their conversation. 

"She can't be _that_ bad," the boy with shaggy hair was saying. Thalia raised an eyebrow, still standing in the doorway, unsure if they should announce their presence or listen to the rest of the conversation to know if they should be offended or not. 

" _They_ ," Reyna corrected, confirming Thalia's suspicion that the group was talking about them. "Pretty much are." 

"Not as bad as Octavian, surely," the other girl stated almost horrified, and Thalia wondered how bad that one Octavian could be. 

"Gods, no!" Reyna muttered. "But still, they're pretty much all over the place." She sighed, taking a slow sip from her drink. That was when Thalia decided to walk in. Quite frankly, they weren't all that offended. If anything, they felt rather touched that Reyna had actually taken notice to Thalia's preferred pronouns and even corrected people about it. Not many people were that attentive or even considerate enough to use them. Her own stepmother for one still refused to acknowledge the fact that Thalia did not identify as a girl. Nor a boy for that matter, but that would have probably horrified her beyond belief. 

Thalia smiled as they made their presence known. "How awful was that Octavian if you say they're worse than me?" 

Reyna's eyes widened and the girl sitting next to her started blushing profusely as the boys looked uncomfortable. 

"He won the dickhead of the year award at our school," the lanky boy answered. Thalia took in his appearance. Long shaggy black hair, black t-shirt with a skull on it, black jeans, an oversized, worn-out aviator jacket. He was wearing a bunch of silver rings, his nails painted black. All that black made him look much paler than he probably really was. Did that boy ever eat? 

Thalia chuckled as they made their way to the fridge and pulled it open. They grabbed a cold bottle of beer and used the Swiss army knife they always kept in their pocket to open it. "He must have been a real dickhead then," they said, taking a small sip from their drink. "Never won any awards, but I'm pretty sure Mrs. M wants me dead for way too many disruptions." 

Reyna gave a chuckle, one that clearly said _why am I not surprised?_

Really, she shouldn't be. Thalia took pride in being a troublemaker at school. It was theirs and Percy's specialty for all ten years they'd been friends. 

"There's more pizza in the living room if you guys are hungry," Thalia told the group before heading out. 

The party hadn't worked much. Reyna most certainly did not get drunk. Of course, not. She was underage and a goody-goody. She wouldn't be caught dead with a single drop of alcohol in her system. Thalia was left with little to no knowledge about her. Though, she had found out that the boy's name was Nico, and the other girl was his sister Hazel who came with her boyfriend Frank. They seemed nice, actually.

On thanksgiving break, they had both stayed home. Thalia went to their family dinner for one night and when they had asked Reyna what their plans were, they were shut down with a pretty quick answer: "working." 

Who works on thanksgiving? Thalia wouldn't be doing any work until the last day of break, as horrible an idea as that was. But they were human after all. Thalia was convinced at this point that Reyna was some alien, or an intergalactic cyber-robot creature. 

Christmas came around pretty fast and Thalia had the apartment to themselves for almost three whole weeks. Reyna had gone south to her family in California. It was pretty pleasant, though they did miss the dogs quite a lot. Aurum and Argentum had grown on them. 

But by the start of their second semester, the world was in shambles. It was a pandemic, some sort of highly infectious and horrible virus, and Reyna was double the germ-freak that she usually was. She insisted that Thalia take their shoes off outside and always wash their hands. Thalia didn't object, though the amount of times Reyna spent cleaning surfaces was kind of excessive when they were both taking necessary precautions. 

By March, a lockdown had been issued, and they were forced to start attending their classes online. And chaos ensued. 

With the dogs constantly demanding attention since the two of them were home at all times, and both of them trying to stay focused on their classes in their respective rooms and trying not to go crazy with being locked together in a tiny apartment for weeks to come, it was hard to stay relaxed. 

It didn't help that Thalia had a horrible case of dyslexia and ADHD. Even the meds that usually did their job weren't working all that well. Thalia was all over the place, carrying their laptop around the apartment at all times, from their bedroom to the kitchen, to the couch, sometimes even the bathroom. (What? You gotta go when you gotta go!) 

It was much harder not to get on Reyna's nerves. Thalia didn't have a job to escape to, or any cafes or skateparks to go to. They were stuck at home with their overly hyper self, and they were just starting to realize what Reyna had meant when she had called them "all over the place." Because they really were. Sheesh. 

Annabeth had offered that they come quarantine with her and Percy, but Thalia would rather face an angry Reyna than those two stuck together in a single, one-bedroom apartment. 

They considered going back home, but, they would also rather face an angry Reyna than evil stepmom. Though, they did miss Jason. 

They were out of groceries so Thalia offered to go on Saturday morning. It meant they could at least leave the house for a few hours. Reyna had given them a long list of things she preferred and Thalia was off, on her way, bandana wrapped around their face as a mask. Honestly, they thought it looked quite badass. 

The grocery store was chaotic, to say the least and Thalia enjoyed it a lot more than any normal person probably would have. They were pretty sure Reyna would have gone ballistic here. 

They found most of the things they wanted and the things on Reyna's list, along with extra things they really didn't need, including treats for the dogs so they would love them more and treats for themselves to keep them company during those long lectures and at night before bed. 

Thalia paid with her card and was on their way back home. They were pretty sure they had gotten everything they needed, though they still felt like they had forgotten something important. Whatever it was, it couldn't have been anything that was on Reyna's list. Thalia had double checked it. 

As it turned out though, Thalia had indeed forgotten the most important thing of all. 

As Reyna was rummaging through the bags, searching for a specific item, Thalia watched her from the counter, taking a sip from the new bottle of chocolate milk. Reyna's searching became more frantic, so Thalia decided it wouldn't hurt to help her find the item, whatever it was. 

"What're you looking for?" 

Reyna looked up for a second before turning back to the grocery bags. "Toilet paper," she responded and that was when Thalia blanked. They rested the bottle of chocolate milk onto the counter, running their fingers nervously over their hair as they grimaced. Reyna slowly looked up at Thalia, raising a single eyebrow. "You did get toilet paper... right?"

So that was what they had forgotten. Shit... 

"Uhm... well... actually—,"

"Dude, are you kidding me?" Reyna exclaimed, burying her face in her palms and letting out a heavy groan. Then, she looked up to meet Thalia's mortified gaze and her eyes softened for a split second. "Shit, sorry— I didn't mean to call you _dude_ —," 

"It's fine!" Thalia reassured her. They knew Reyna hadn't meant it in any offensive way. 

"Well, in that case, are you _fucking_ kidding me? I'm about to shit myself!" Reyna cried out, letting out another furious groan. This time, it was hard not to crack a small smile. Thalia had never heard Reyna swearing so much. 

"I'm so sorry!" Thalia apologized sheepishly. "I'll just go back and get some." They were already grabbing their keys when Reyna sighed, glared at them, and then stomped over to the counter where the roll of paper towels was. 

" _Puta mierda,"_ Reyna huffed and reached for the paper towels. "Don't bother," she muttered and stormed off to the bathroom. 

As soon as Reyna was gone, Thalia found herself cackling, clutching on to their side at how hard they found themselves laughing. Still, they grabbed their wallet and their keys and made their way back to the store to grab some toilet paper, which was weirdly very scarce. How Thalia forgot the most important household item, they had no idea. 

Thalia passed by the store's bakery section this time and purchased a few donuts as a peace offering before leaving back home. 

As they pushed open the door, Thalia cried out: "I HAVE COME BACK! WITH HOLY TOILET PAPER! AND OTHER HOLY GOODS!" 

Reyna appeared from the living room, dressed in new clothes and her hair tied up in a towel. She clearly hadn't understood Thalia's hilarious pun because she wasn't laughing. 

"Get it? Cuz toilet paper rolls have holes. And I got donuts and they also have holes. And they're both also divine... get it?"

Reyna simply blinked at them. "I got it..." 

Thalia pouted, throwing the pack of toilet paper at her. "Then why aren't you laughing?" 

Reyna caught the pack with ease and went off to empty it in the bathroom. "Wasn't funny!" 

Thalia pouted deeper and made their way to the sitting room, flopping down on the couch with the box of donuts in their lap. 

"Hey! Shoes off!" Reyna grumbled and Thalia sighed, kicking the boots off. Using the hand sanitizer bottle that was left on the coffee table, they cleaned their hands and then started munching on one of the glazed donuts. 

Reyna joined them on the couch, legs tucked under her and both dogs came trotting in, flopping down at their feet. 

"Hey boys!" Thalia grinned, scratching the back of Aurum's ear, his tail going crazy. Thalia chuckled, turning their attention to the television that was on, playing a very odd film. Men in roman warrior attire sword fighting. Was that some weird, secret kink thing?

"What're we watching?" Thalia asked with a mouthful of donut, which Reyna grimaced at. She leaned over, grabbed a chocolate covered pastry and leaned back in her seat. 

"A History of the Roman Empire." 

Thalia rolled her eyes. "Boring!" 

"It's not boring, it's really interesting actually." 

"Seriously? Interesting? The only interesting thing was probably Caesar being stabbed a few hundred times," Thalia snapped in response, finishing their first donut. Reyna seemed to take offence at that. 

"Twenty-three times," Reyna, the know it all, corrected. Gods, she was worse than Annabeth sometimes. "I mean— did you know they used to scare their enemies with elephants in their armies?" 

Thalia pondered over that fact for a moment and supposed that elephants were actually kinda cool. But that also meant that they had caused the deaths of innocent elephants in their wars. Not cool. 

"No?" Reyna sighed. "Fine, then, did you know that they used to use sponges on sticks to wipe their asses after shitting? Shared them and everything." 

Thalia looked absolutely horrified at that. "What the— that's disgusting, why do you know that?" Their shoulders shuddered in disgust. Reyna smirked, shrugging her shoulders. 

"I know a lot of things I'd probably be best off not knowing." 

Thalia let out a chuckle, turning around to face Reyna completely. "Like what?" 

Reyna tilted her head a little to the side in thought, her eyebrows furrowing a little. "Hmm," she started, scratching the back of her head a little. "Well... to stay on the topic of hygiene—," 

"Yeah, I already hate where this is going." 

Reyna smirked as she continued. "Ancient Romans used urine as mouthwash and it became so popular, the government had to tax it." 

Thalia felt literal bile rise up their throat. _Urine?_ "Wait— it had to be taxed... so they would buy... other people's urine...?" Thalia's voice became eerily high pitched. 

Reyna was looking way too excited about this piece of information for Thalia's comfort. "They also washed their clothes in it." 

Thalia gagged as Reyna burst out laughing. Thalia realized this was probably the first time they had heard Reyna actually, full-on laughing. And it was a beautiful sound. As disgusted as they were, they still grinned widely, eventually joining Reyna in her fit of laughter. 

When they had both finally fallen quiet after a while, Reyna went back to focusing on her documentary, while Thalia actually focused on her. Even with her hair pulled back in a towel, Reyna was very obviously stunning. Beautiful in a regal way. 

Thalia was proud of themselves. They had managed to go months without flirting with someone as gorgeous as Reyna. Granted, they were pretty on edge with each other, so it would have been beyond awkward and weird. But Reyna was still undoubtedly hot, and Thalia couldn't stop admiring her. She was too engrossed in whatever the historians on the tv were saying to even notice Thalia's eyes boring into the side of her face. 

At least, until the episode was over, and Reyna turned to find the remote, only to find Thalia watching her. 

"What?" She demanded and Thalia found themselves blushing. "Is there something on my face?"

They shook their head, turning back around to face the television screen. "No, you're good," Thalia murmured, clearing her throat. 

Reyna watched them with a frown for a few more seconds, not really trusting them but eventually, she got up on her feet, stretching her long limbs and both dogs followed in her actions. 

"Whatever, I'm gonna go study," Reyna announced and started making her way toward her room. 

"Okay, nerd," Thalia teased her but Reyna only flipped her off without even turning around. 

Thalia laughed to themselves, reaching over to grab the tv remote to change Netflix accounts and watch their show. 

Thalia knew they probably should have studied a bit, the way Reyna was, but they couldn't get themselves to do anything that was given to them as an assignment. Instead, they spent most of the day in their room, standing before an easel, trying to paint _something_. 

Thalia had some soft music playing on their record player to avoid getting yelled at by Reyna for being too annoying, and it seemed to work... mostly. 

They went through many of their album collection. Dark Side of the Moon, Pet Sounds, Rumors, some Sinatra and other Jazz hits. Thalia was too focused on their painting to notice when the record player started scratching softly as the album had come to an end. It was only when Argentum (who had taken to keeping them company whenever they were painting) had started whining and scratching his paw onto the desk when the record player was situated that Thalia took a second to notice the world around them. 

They noticed first that the sky outside was way too dark. Huh... last time they checked, the sun was still up. 

Oh well. 

They made their way over to the record player and carefully placed the vinyl back in its sleeve before replacing it with a new album. Something with a little more hype to it this time. Some Velvet Underground. 

With a satisfied smile as the first song began to play, Thalia realized they hadn't had dinner yet, so they trudged over to the kitchen, keeping the doors open so they could still enjoy the music. 

They opened the freezer, pulled out a frozen pepperoni pizza and popped it onto an oven tray before slipping it inside and setting an alarm for the recommended time on the pizza box. As they waited for their food to be done, Thalia grabbed a soda from the fridge and turned back to go to their room and work on their painting some more. 

They had started with the background, painting it pitch black, and moved on to trace the silhouette of a woman's face. 

It was starting to look pretty good, Thalia thought, as they traced over the bottom lip with some faded red paint. 

"Pretty cool, right Arge?" Thalia turned to grin at the dog, who they believed was still lying down on their bed. Instead, they found a very annoyed Reyna standing in the doorway, arms crossed over her chest and her hair all messy from sleep. "Oh, hey, Rey," Thalia smiled at her roommate, waving her paintbrush around. 

"What the hell are you doing? And— don't call me Rey." 

Thalia chuckled, looking at Reyna like it wasn't so obvious. "Painting. What does it look like I'm doing?" 

Reyna raised a pointed eyebrow. "At three in the morning?" 

Thalia's eyes widened. How did it get so late? "What?" They exclaimed. "It's not three in the morning. It can't be." 

They stomped over to their phone that was sitting on the bedside table and sure enough, it read: 03:27. Thalia wasn't even tired. 

"Well, it is. So, can you turn off the music and stop being so loud? Thank you." Reyna snapped and turned around to leave the room. Thalia waved their hands in the air mockingly just as the loud _ding_ went off in the kitchen. 

"Are you _cooking_?" 

Thalia rolled their eyes, setting their paintbrush down in one of the cups of water before stepping into the hallway and moving past Reyna to the kitchen. "Just a pizza," Thalia explained as they walked over to the oven. "Got hungry!" 

They noticed that Reyna had stayed behind and with a shrug of their shoulders, they opened the oven door and pulled out the tray using a kitchen towel. Big mistake. 

" _Ah,_ shit, shit, shit, hot, so hot. Fuck..." They dropped the tray onto the counter with a loud pang and dashed to the sink to run their palms under cold water. 

Thankfully, their skin was still intact, if only a little red. With a huff, they cut the pizza into slices and placed them on a plate before walking back to their room, already chewing on a piece (after blowing on it excessively, of course). 

"Want some?" Thalia offered as they stepped into their room where they found Reyna sitting on the edge of the bed next to her dog, patting his fur gently. Reyna was eyeing the room, scrutinizing every last stray item that wasn't in its place — which was everything. 

"It's messy, I know, you don't have to clean it up though. But if you're offering..." Thalia grinned cheekily but then they noticed Reyna staring at the freshly painted canvas still standing on the easel, the one Thalia was still working on. 

"Is that...?" 

"Yeah," Thalia shrugged their shoulder nonchalantly, chewing on another piece of pizza. 

Reyna turned to look at her with a frown on her face. "You painted me..." 

Thalia nodded slowly. Wasn't that obvious? They were pretty sure they got the nose and the eyes pretty accurately. Even that little freckle right above Reyna's lip, to the right side. "It's not done yet. There's the ears. And the hair. I was going to try and paint the hair down, see what it'd make you look like," Thalia laughed as the thought of Reyna with untamed hair crossed her mind. They had to admit, Reyna would look just as beautiful, and possibly even more intimidating. "But, if we're being realistic here, I don't think I've ever seen you without a braid. A ponytail, sometimes..." Thalia shrugged, walking back over to the easel and setting the plate down on the desk. 

Reyna was quiet, letting Thalia ramble as she stared at the pretty accurate, incomplete painting of herself. 

"I... do you not like it?" Thalia asked, their tone suddenly self-conscious. They were rarely ever low on confidence, but art was one the things that could boost their ego or push it all the way down to hell. 

Reyna was hesitant for a moment before answering with another question. "Why did you paint me?" 

Thalia thought about it for a moment. They didn't have an answer other than the obvious: Reyna was a great model for art pieces. She had regal beauty and a sense of majesty to her Thalia hadn't seen in anyone before. They had even contemplated adding a crown on top of her head. 

"Because, you're beautiful," Thalia answered honestly, a soft smile playing on their lips. They turned back around, picking up their brush and dabbing it onto a paper towel to dry out the excess water. Then, they dipped it into some more paint, this one a lighter shade, adding some more hyper-realness to the piece. "I'm pretty sure you could make money, posing for art classes. They'd go crazy for someone like you." 

"Is that a compliment...?" 

Thalia laughed softly, switching to a different brush to get some delicate details right. "I've been complimenting you for like... ten hours already. What do you think?" Thalia glanced back with a teasing grin on their face, only to find the top of Reyna's ears tinted red. She really was cute. Maybe they could add that to the portrait. 

Reyna didn't answer. Instead, she got up and stood right next to Thalia, watching them work in silence. Thalia didn't know how Reyna could stand there for so long, just watching the brush strokes on the canvas; their friends usually ignored them and went to do other things they found more entertaining. But Reyna was patient, and if Thalia was not mistaken, quite interested. 

Thalia stole a few glances, under the pretense of trying to get a more accurate look at her, noticing how Reyna's eyes moved with each glide of the paintbrush, her eyebrows furrowed and tongue poking out between her teeth. 

Really cute. 

And when the record player had started scratching softly again, Reyna was the one who walked over to it and flipped the LP around so the second side started playing. 

"You know," Thalia started, dipping their brush in the cup of water, watching as the paint swirled off the bristles and tainted the water black. "I really thought you hated me these past few months." 

Reyna let out a chuckle, back by her side. "I do," she replied softly, but Thalia couldn't hear any real hatred or bitterness in her voice. 

Still, they placed their hand on their chest, getting some more paint stains on their t-shirt. "You really wound me!" 

They glanced over to find Reyna smiling widely, and Thalia could only smile back fondly. 

"I don't hate you," Reyna said more seriously now and Thalia was about to feel relieved when she kept on talking. "But I do hate how you're always up all night until some ungodly hour, being this eccentric.” She flailed her arms around the messy room. “Your things are always all over the apartment, in places they shouldn't even be! I mean, why were your socks on the stove yesterday?" 

Thalia smiled sheepishly, running their fingers through their hair in embarrassment. That got some red paint in their hair, but they didn't care. "Couldn't find the oven mitts..." 

Reyna scoffed in disbelief. "See? You're ridiculous. And you can't take normal showers to save your life!" 

"How do _you_ take five-minute showers? That's not human!" Thalia countered and Reyna glared at them, shaking her head furiously. 

"You're the one who isn't human, with your obsession with cup noodles. We've got like whole ass boxes of those things under the kitchen sink!" 

Thalia's mouth fell open. "Are you kidding me? Those are heaven. Invented by big G-O-D themself!" Thalia exclaimed loudly. "What about your obsession with jelly beans? You practically murdered me for eating one of your packets!" 

Thalia felt like they had hit a nerve. Reyna glared at them, her eyes narrowed and they could imagine their ears fuming like they did in cartoons.

"Cuz they're my jellybeans!" Reyna replied in a snappy tone. "You could have asked." 

Thalia slowly raised an eyebrow, their lips quirking up in amusement. "Would you have said yes?" 

Reyna opened her mouth to respond but then closed it right after without saying a word. She let out a huff and stormed off into the hall. 

"¡ _Que pesado_!" Thalia heard her mutter under her breath as she walked over to her room, her puppy following her excitedly. 

Thalia couldn't help but laugh when a crazy idea came to their mind. They followed Reyna. Reyna looked even more irritated than ever. "Can I please get some sleep? I need to wake up early tomorrow, so if you don't mind," she waved her hand in the air, indicating to Thalia that she wanted them out and as far away as possible. 

Thalia had to be honest, they hadn't seen Reyna's room much. Unsurprisingly, it was even more neat than the entire house. Even in the middle of the night. Everything was in place except for her rumpled sheets. But to their surprise, it did look rather inviting. It wasn't too crowded like Thalia's room, but it wasn't empty like a hotel room either. A perfect combination of both. 

"Thalia," Reyna groaned, flopping down on her bed and pulling her pillow over her face. Thalia smirked at her, leaning against the doorframe. 

"No, I'm not leaving. Tomorrow's Sunday. I _know_ you don't have to be up early. You're just a robot-human hybrid. You can stay up longer," Thalia decided, and though they had no idea why, they just wanted to spend more time with their roommate. At four in the morning. 

"It's the middle of the fucking night," Reyna grumbled, her words muffled by the pillow. 

Thalia padded over to her and pulled the pillow off her face. "Yes. Exactly. The perfect time to do crazy things with your roommate. Like bond." 

Reyna was looking at them like they were crazy. "Huh," she nodded her head, but she was interrupted by a yawn. "Okay, trust me. I totally understand where you're going with this. I support your decision! But let's do it tomorrow, yeah?" 

Reyna flipped around, hugging her other pillow close and pulling her blanket up to her chin as Thalia watched in complete disbelief. They had no idea Reyna could be so sarcastic. Little shit... they were starting to appreciate this new side of Reyna. This quippy, in a fun little way, Reyna. 

"Nope! Right now." Thalia insisted and flopped down at the foot of Reyna's bed, pulling their knees up to their chest. 

"Hey—!" Reyna exclaimed, sitting up straight in bed. "You're gonna get paint all over my sheets!" 

Thalia shook their head, pretty confident in the fact that no, they won't. "The paint's dry, look," they reassured her, running their fingers over the paint on the knee of their sweatpants. Except... their hand came up with red stains, matching the stain on the pants. And the problem was, Thalia wasn't sure if the paint on their fingers was already there or not. Well, that was embarrassing. 

"Get off!" Reyna grumbled, pulling Thalia up by the elbow. 

Thalia sighed and with a roll of their eyes, pushed themselves off the bed. "Fine, fine. I'm gonna go shower. But I'm gonna sing loudly so you won't fall asleep and we can have that bonding session." 

Reyna looked like she was about to kill Thalia, but it was worth it. They weren't sure why. But it was. Thalia ran to the bathroom, stripping themselves of their clothes and jumping in the shower. Possibly for the first time in their life, they took their shortest shower yet, taking only ten minutes. Huh... so, they _didn't_ need over an hour to smell nice. 

Thalia walked out of the bathroom with just a towel wrapped around their body and as they were walking down the hall, they ran straight into a very hard body. 

Reyna hissed and then let out a yelp and Thalia took a few steps back, noticing the mug in Reyna's hands, dripping off the side. "Thalia!" Reyna cried out, holding the mug in her other hand and pulling her finger up to her lips to suck on it. "Shit, that's hot," she muttered, shaking her burnt hand in the air. 

_You're hot_. 

Thalia internally punched themselves for that thought. Why did all of their most inappropriate thoughts come out at night? 

She's your roommate, Thalia reminded themselves. Possibly for the next four years. Get it together, idiot. 

With a small grimace, Thalia apologized for running into Reyna. Though, they still couldn't get over the fact that Reyna had _solid_ hard muscles. When did she get so ripped? 

"Sorry about that," Thalia murmured softly, carefully walking around Reyna to get to their room. "I'm just gonna..." they shrugged awkwardly and dashed inside. Quickly throwing on a pair of pajama pants and the first t-shirt they could find — a crop top they had stolen from _Percy,_ believe it or not — they made their way out in search for Reyna. Their hair was still wet and dripping down their back but they couldn't be bothered to dry it any better. 

They found Reyna sitting on the couch with her legs tucked under her and the cup of coffee in her hands, taking slow sips as she scrolled through her phone. "You'd be surprised at how many people are actually up this late." Reyna told them, her voice laced with genuine surprise. 

Thalia chuckled, flopping down next to her. "Yeah. It's quarantine. Time is nothing but an illusion right now. No one knows what day it is."

"It's April 11h. Well, 12th, now." 

Thalia rolled their eyes. "Okay, miss know it all." Thalia watched Reyna carefully which only agitated their roommate. 

"What? It's really creepy when you stare like that, jesus." 

"I'm just trying to figure you out," Thalia explained quietly. They then reached over, grabbing Reyna's mug from the coffee table and taking a sip before Reyna could complain. 

As the warm liquid hit their tongue, Reyna smacked them on the shoulder with a pillow. "See, this is exactly what I'm talking about! You could have asked for some and I could have told you that there was more in the kitchen!" 

Thalia was surprised when the sweet taste of chocolate stimulated their taste buds and not bitter coffee. They were a little concerned that their nose had completely disregarded the smell but still, it was actually some really good hot chocolate. Thalia had never seen Reyna drink anything that wasn't coffee or water. Coffee was like air to that girl. 

Thalia gave her a shit-eating grin instead, handing her the mug back. "But it tastes better with the thrill of not knowing if you're gonna scold me or not! It's even better when you do scold me." 

That earned them another punch on the shoulder, but this one much softer, and they noticed Reyna's lip quiver as she tried to push back a smile. 

"I really hope you're not giving me some weird STD," Reyna said as she pulled her cup up to her lips again, taking another sip. Thalia wasn't sure how serious that comment was, but still, they smiled as they noticed the small drop of chocolate on Reyna's lower lip which was gone less than a second later as she ran her tongue over it. And Thalia couldn't stop staring. 

They shook themselves back into reality, clearing their throat and leaning back against the arm of the couch. 

"So, you're telling me you've never been up this late before?" 

Reyna shrugged her shoulders, leaning her chin over the edge of the mug. "Only when I have a lot of work to get through. And—," she cut herself short, and then just shook her head like it was nothing. But Thalia knew that look that passed over her eyes for a split second. They knew it too well, unfortunately. "Yeah, just when I have lots of work." 

Thalia didn't believe it but they didn't press on. They weren't going to push Reyna away so fast. 

"Okay!" Thalia exclaimed, getting an even crazier idea. "Grab a jacket." 

Reyna looked at them incredulously. "You want to go outside? In the middle of the night? During a pandemic?" 

Thalia rolled their eyes. "No," they sighed getting off the couch and holding their hand out to pull Reyna up as well. "Well— not exactly. Just the roof." 

Reyna raised an eyebrow, eyeing Thalia's tattooed fingers uncertainly. "The roof?" 

"You've never been, right?" 

Reyna gave them a _duh_ expression. "It's locked for a reason, you know." 

"It's not locked," Thalia wriggled their fingers in Reyna's face annoyingly until Reyna finally slapped them away and got up by herself. 

"It is locked." 

Thalia smirked while their eyebrows danced around mischievously. "Trust me, it isn't." 

Thalia ran to their bedroom and grabbed two hoodies before slipping their feet into their fuzzy slippers. (What? They're super comfortable!) 

They tossed the jumper over to Reyna and slipped into the one with the zipper (they didn't want to deal with the consequences of accidentally hitting Reyna in the face with the metal zipper). 

Reyna made a show of inspecting the grey hoodie, probably to make sure it was clean, before concluding that it was good enough to wear. Thalia felt slightly insulted. Sure; they were pretty messy, but they were quite big on hygiene. They did their laundry like every week! 

Thalia padded back over to their room, grabbing their phone and other essentials from their desk. They then crossed over to the window that was open and letting in a cool, April breeze. Smiling excitedly, they turned back to call for Reyna only to find her standing the doorway with a worried expression on her face and a thermos in her hand. 

"Wasn't gonna let the chocolate go to waste," she explained as she joined Thalia at the window. "Are you sure about this?"

"Yeah, I've been doing it ever since I moved in," Thalia reassured her and then ducked to slip out onto the fire escape. They had already started up the stairs when Reyna joined them. They were already two levels up when Reyna spoke up. 

"This is really unsafe," she murmured, staring at the ledge that was a little looser than it should have been. Though she was probably right, Thalia still continued up the stairs, and Reyna still followed them until they had finally reached the top. 

Thalia pulled themselves onto the flat surface of the rooftop and held their hand out to help Reyna but she totally ignored her and used her own help. Thalia chuckled, shaking their head a little as they turned around and made their way over to the plastic chairs set up at a safe distance from the edge. 

Reyna raised her eyebrows questioningly as she joined Thalia and sat down on the other chair. "When did this happen?" 

Thalia shrugged, pulling out a lighter from the pocket of their sweater. "No clue. They were here the first time I came up. It's always empty though. Must have been old neighbors or something." 

Reyna nodded understandingly. 

Thalia pulled out their pack of Mary Jane and started rolling one, ignoring the way Reyna was looking at them. 

"I hope you know smoking's really bad for you," Reyna noted and Thalia chuckled as they pulled the rolled joint to their mouth and held it between their teeth to light it up. 

"It's not a cigarette," they simply responded and flicked their lighter on. Reyna seemed to understand. 

"Right..." she murmured. Thalia wasn't sure if she was judging them or not. "That's not medical, is it?" Reyna asked, though she already seemed to know the answer. 

"No," Thalia laughed, taking a first puff. As they let the smoke out, they turned to glance at Reyna, smiling in amusement. "Does help with the ADHD though, and anxiety a little." 

Reyna's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh, you're ADHD?" 

Thalia laughed, leaning back in their seat. "Explains a lot, doesn't it?" 

Reyna chuckled softly, nodding her head. "It does explain the midnight baking extravaganzas." 

Then, to Thalia's surprise, Reyna held out her hand. Thalia furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "You're not asking for the joint, are you?" 

Reyna nodded, closing her fingers over her palm to indicate to Thalia that she wanted them to hand it over. 

Thalia slowly grinned, passing the smoke over. "You don't even drink." 

"I do drink," Reyna countered, holding the joint up to her lips and inhaling the smoke. Again, Thalia was surprised when she didn't even flinch or fall into a coughing fit the way they had the first time they'd smoked. 

"You didn't have a single sip of beer when we threw that party!" Thalia exclaimed in disbelief, stealing the smoke back. 

Reyna chuckled, fiddling aimlessly with the lid of the thermos. "I had an exam the next day. I drink _responsibly."_ Reyna raised a questioning eyebrow, almost accusingly at Thalia. "Which reminds me... how did you even get a hold of so much beer? You're barely eighteen." 

"Nineteen, actually," Thalia corrected. "I'm a child of December!" They figured from the look of Reyna's face they wanted to inquire more about the fact that Thalia had let their birthday pass without making a big deal out of it. 

"Still, doesn't change my point. Underage!" Reyna pointed an accusatory finger at Thalia, ignoring the last part to Thalia's relief. It's not that they disliked their birthday... it's just always been a horrible day. This year wasn't so bad actually. They had spent it at home with the dogs and Reyna hadn't scolded her once. Better than all the previous 18 birthdays. 

"I have my ways," Thalia smirked as though they were so slick. Reyna didn't buy it. 

"Fake ID?" 

"Obviously," Thalia laughed, handing the joint over to Reyna again. 

They stayed quiet for a few minutes, Reyna watching Thalia, and Thalia staring up at the night sky. The stars and the moon had always fascinated them. 

"When was your birthday?" Reyna asked softly, then.

"December 22nd," they answered simply, their eyes still focused on the moon above. They really hoped Reyna wouldn't press on, though they couldn't blame her if she did. 

"Capricorn," she simply said with a chuckle. 

Thalia turned to glance at her then, grinning a little. "What about you?" 

"July 20th." 

Thalia couldn't believe that. "No, you're not a cancer." 

"I am," Reyna confirmed with a disappointed smile on her face. 

"No! You're not emotional enough." 

"That's pretty prejudiced of you, Grace." 

Thalia grinned sheepishly and shrugged their shoulders. "It's not prejudiced. I've know you since August. You are not a cancer." 

Reyna rolled her eyes. "Wanna see my birth certificate?" 

"Birth certificates can lie," Thalia pointed out. Reyna laughed, shaking her head at Thalia. 

"Didn't think you'd be into astrology," she teased them softly. 

"Didn't think you would be either," Thalia shot back. 

"Touché," Reyna breathed out a laugh. "So, we're both not what we seem." 

Thalia took a long puff from the joint between their fingers. When their lungs were clear of any smoke, they spoke up again. "At least now you know you had no reason to hate me." 

Reyna shook her head. "I don't hate you. Just... mildly dislike you. And that is really very justifiable!" 

"Is it though?" 

"Totally!" 

But Reyna's voice was soft and playful, contradicting her words and they both shared a smile. 

They kept bickering back and forth as the sun started rising and Thalia actually learned a lot about their roommate. 

For starters, Reyna was actually Puerto Rican. She had an older sister, a super-rich mother, and she had absolutely no taste in music. I mean, she hadn't outgrown her high school Fall Out Boy and Arctic Monkeys phase yet. Thalia would never admit to listening to them occasionally for their own dignity but... well, okay, fine. Reyna might have had average taste in music. But she always hated it whenever Thalia played their punk rock records, and in Thalia's dictionary, that meant terrible taste in music. 

Every morning when Reyna used to disappear very early on, she had actually been going to the gym and how Thalia had never noticed, they had no idea. (It was probably the oversleeping). But it explained the muscles. Except that, ever since they had been quarantined at home, Reyna had to resort to using her own room. And yet again, Thalia still didn't know how they were so completely oblivious to it all. They felt a tiny bit bad. Reyna was very observant of all of Thalia's best and worst habits as a roommate. 

Thalia also found out that Reyna had actually grown up in the same city in California as they had before moving to New York at 12 to live with their dad. The shaggy looking boy was not her boyfriend but her best friend, Nico, who was taking a gap year to "travel the world with his boyfriend," or in Reyna's personal opinion, waste time until he could figure out how to tell his dad he didn't actually want to go to college. The other two were also high school friends, called Frank and Hazel. They had all driven up to New York to visit Reyna and Thalia had coincidentally decided to throw the party during their stay. 

They exchanged stories about their siblings and friends growing up and other crazy things they had been through until the sun was up in the sky, shining brightly down on them. Thalia had tears in their eyes from laughing so hard. They weren't sure if it was the marijuana or is Reyna was genuinely funny, but they couldn't stop laughing for most of their stay on the roof. 

Eventually they had quieted down and simply sat there, watching some birds fly around and land a few feet away from them. 

Thalia kept stealing glances at Reyna who had her eyes closed, drinking it the sunshine. As sleep deprived as she might have been, Thalia had never seen her so... unstressed. So relaxed. And for the first time ever, Thalia really thought they could actually be good friends. Until Reyna spoke up again. 

"Seriously. Stop staring at me like a creep," Reyna muttered, her eyes still closed. 

Funny, because Thalia was the one who was creeped out. Did she have secret, invisible eyes on the side of her face?

"I—," Thalia stammered. "I am not staring like a creep!" 

"You are staring though, aren't you?" This time, Reyna opened her eyes, raising her eyebrows at Thalia. She smirked as she noticed that Thalia was indeed staring at her with their eyes wide and their mouth hanging open. 

"Yes, but not in a creepy way!" 

"Then why are you staring?" Reyna demanded, and Thalia's mind blanked. They only knew that they couldn't help but stare at Reyna's face, which was too beautiful for its own good. 

Thalia didn't answer and thankfully Reyna let it go, choosing to close her eyes again, but the smirk was still playing on her lips. Thalia didn't look away. "You could try and be subtle about it." 

"Okay, that's it. Where are they?" 

"Where are what...?" Reyna asked confusedly. 

"Your extra pair of hidden eyes!" 

Reyna actually burst out laughing. Full on laughter. Thalia blushed a little. 

"Thal, I can literally feel your eyes burning holes like laser into the side of my face," Reyna laughed, opening her eyes again. Thalia wasn't embarrassed this time though. They were pleasantly taken aback by the nickname that Reyna had used. All their close friends called them Thal, but Reyna had yet to use any diminutives. She absolutely refused to let Thalia call her anything but "Reyna." 

"You called me 'Thal'," they noted, a small smile on their face. 

"Oh," Reyna frowned in worry. "Sorry, are you not comfortable with it?" 

Thalia chuckled softly, shaking their head. "No, I love it. You've just never used nicknames before." 

Reyna mouthed an 'oh', nodding slowly. "Right... well, I didn't know you all that well, before." 

Fair point. But then again... "We literally share a bathroom." 

Reyna rolled her eyes. "Knowing what brand of deodorant you use doesn't mean anything." 

Thalia laughed softly. "That's one thing you know more about me than my own parents." 

Reyna grimaced a little, giving them an apologetic look. "Parents suck, anyway." 

"Amen to that," Thalia sighed, rubbing their eyes with the back of their hands. "So..." 

Reyna gave them a worried look as though she knew she wasn't going to like whatever they were going to say next. 

"Can I call you Rey?" 

"No." 

"I let you call me Thal!" 

"That's different, you like it." 

"You don't like being called Rey?" 

"No." 

Thalia huffed and laced their fingers behind their head. "Fine," they sighed. "How about Reyrey?" 

"I _will_ punch you." 

Thalia gulped. They held their hands out in surrender. "Okay, fine. Sheesh." 

This time, Thalia noticed that it was Reyna's turn to watch them carefully, studying their face closely. "Stop staring like a creep!" They exclaimed in a mocking tone which earned them a light shove to the shoulder. 

"Can I ask you a personal question?" 

Thalia turned to meet Reyna's gaze, shrugging their shoulders lightly. "If it's about my body count, whatever anyone says, it really isn't _that_ big." 

Reyna frowned, shaking her head softly. "No. That's your business," she told her softly. "No, it's more personal than that... I think." 

Thalia's playful smile dropped. They sat up straighter in their seat and turned to face Reyna fully. "Sure, I suppose..." There were way too many personal questions currently going through Thalia's mind and they had no idea what Reyna could be asking them about. 

Reyna's fingers rolled over the fabric of her pajama pants and if Thalia didn't know any better, they'd think Reyna was rather nervous. Was she? Reyna was quiet for a few seconds, probably trying to collect her thoughts, but it only increased Thalia's anxiety and impatience while anticipating the mysterious question. 

"How did you—," Reyna started quietly, avoiding Thalia's gaze. "You know— I mean... you identify as non-binary, right?" 

"Yeah," Thalia answered softly, though they thought Reyna was already aware of that. "Do you wanna know how I knew?" It was the question they were asked most often when it wasn't anything offensive. 

"No, not exactly," Reyna frowned, trying hard to get her question across. "You're also into women, right?" 

Thalia nodded their head slowly, wondering where Reyna was going with this. 

"How did you... tell people?" 

Oh... now they were getting it. Honestly, Thalia had given the possibility that Reyna might not have been straight a thought or two. But Reyna was pretty good at hiding it. Like... seriously, really good. There was absolutely nothing on her social media or around the house that indicated non-heteronormativity, and she could parallel park like a pro. Thalia had witnessed that first hand. But then again... she did have several cacti around the house. And the cabinet over the sink had way more mugs than it actually fits. 

So, it did kind of make sense now... 

"Oh..." Thalia turned to Reyna with a small smile on their face, trying their best not to make them uncomfortable. This was clearly a conversation she was having a hard time with and Thalia understood first hand just how hard it was. "Well... honestly, I just kind of did. I guess my parents kinda always knew? But when I was fifteen, I think, I told Annabeth and Percy, and they were totally fine with it. Then I told Jason, my little brother. He got it pretty quick too. I didn't tell my parents until I was sixteen. Mom and Dad honestly didn't care. I think..." Thalia's lips curved up in a smile as they remembered the words their mom had told them after coming out to her. "My mom went, and I quote 'honey, you've been undressing your barbies since you were a baby,' and then offered me some wine. Yeah, she's super responsible." 

Reyna let out a soft chuckle, but Thalia noticed her hands were still nervously pulling at a loose thread on her pants. 

Thalia pulled their chair closer to Reyna's and placed a gentle, reassuring hand over hers, squeezing it gently. "Thank you for trusting me with this," they told her softly.

Reyna nodded, sending Thalia an appreciative smile, but she remained quiet. 

"Does anyone know?" 

"Nico," Reyna answered quietly. "He kinda found out last summer, before I came up here for college. But I've no idea how to tell everyone else."

Thalia nodded understandingly. "Yeah, I know. It is pretty hard." 

Reyna nodded, letting out a heavy breath as she leaned back in her chair, rubbing her face tiredly with her fingers. 

"How long have you known? If you don't mind me asking," Thalia asked her gently, fiddling with their lighter between their fingers, flicking the flame on and off, over and over again. 

"Uh... since my sophomore year of high school, I think. I was dating this guy for a few weeks and then I realized I also wanted to be making out with Azula from Avatar." 

Thalia let out a snort, their face splitting into a grin. "No kidding. Personally, I was more into Suki, but I can definitely see Azula's attraction. Actually— I wanted to be Azula and date Suki." 

Reyna cracked a small smile, reaching forward to flick Thalia's choppy bangs. "You've got the hair. You could definitely pull it off." 

Was Reyna flirting with them or was Thalia just projecting their feelings since Reyna had just come out to them? Get your head out of your ass, Thalia. 

They cleared their throat and went on to ask Reyna more questions, trying to help her. 

"So, do you identify as bi or...?" 

Reyna shrugged her shoulders, her brow creasing in thought. "I suppose so? I mean, I am attracted to guys but... women are just better?" 

Thalia held out their hand then and Reyna gave them an awkward high-five. "Hell yeah, they are. Spoken like a true Sapphic." 

Reyna smiled at Thalia before turning her gaze away, staring at the roof opposite theirs. An older woman had appeared and she was bent over, watering some potted plants that had the entire rooftop covered. Thalia couldn't help but smile at the woman, wishing they could live a life just as peaceful one day. Having nothing much to worry about other than your potted plants seemed like a pretty good way to live your life. 

"So, are you seeing anyone?" 

The words came tumbling out of Thalia's mouth before they could stop them. They hoped it came out as casual as words like that could ever sound. 

They noticed Reyna glancing at them, but Thalia forced her gaze to stay forward. They weren't going to ruin all that bonding they had just built in one night because they had just found another non-het. 

"Not at the moment, no," Reyna replied, her voice too normal for Thalia to discern anything in it. So, maybe Reyna didn't think the question had any other alternative meanings. And it didn't anyway. Why was Thalia so worried? "You?" 

Thalia shrugged. "Nothing exclusive." There was that cute girl who worked at the bookstore. She was good. But, Thalia couldn't see them going any further than casual sex, and besides, the pandemic had come at just the perfect moment. They still texted each other, but they both knew they wouldn't be seeing each other any time soon. 

"Right," Reyna announced and finally stood up, stretching her limbs, which caused all of her joints to crack. Literally all of them. It was so loud, Thalia visibly cringed. "I think I should get some sleep," Reyna continued but as she was saying the words, she was interrupted by a yawn which was as contagious as that corona virus, and Thalia was yawning right back. 

"Sorry I kept you up all night," Thalia apologized with a not-so-apologetic grin. Reyna chuckled, shrugging her shoulders as she shoved her hands in the pockets of Thalia's hoodie. 

"It's okay, I enjoyed it actually." 

Thalia's grin only widened as they carefully stepped down the ladder to the fire escape. Soon, they were jumping through the window to Thalia's bedroom, greeted instantly by both dogs. 

Thalia scratched both their heads before walking over to their easel and grabbing their paintbrush again. 

"You're not going to sleep? That's really unhealthy..." Reyna exclaimed through another yawn. This time, Thalia easily fought theirs back. 

"Nah, I need to finish my masterpiece!" 

They could see Reyna's cheeks turning slight darker as heat rushed along her face and Thalia only smiled brightly in response. 

"Then, can you wake me up in a few hours? I can't mess up my sleep schedule."

"Sure thing," Thalia promised with a quick wink as Reyna made her way to her own room, followed by her dogs. 

Of course, Thalia did no such thing. They knew Reyna needed her beauty sleep so they let her crash in for as long as she needed and doing everything Reyna would have normally done during the day from feeding the dogs and taking them out on their walks to cooking lunch at around two in the afternoon. Thalia had finished the painting and left it near the window to dry and so they went around the apartment, cleaning it up as best as they could. Even their room didn't smell like acrylics anymore. That spray thingy Reyna always used around the apartment worked wonders! Their room was all clean and smelling like fresh pine (and hints of spaghetti and meatballs from when they had made lunch.) 

Reyna didn't wake up till four p.m. and she was furious at Thalia, because after all, they had promised to wake her up. Thalia defended themselves, telling Reyna that she clearly needed her sleep and so they did the nice thing and let her sleep! But Reyna was still angry because now "she wouldn't be able to fall asleep tonight at a reasonable hour" which was total bullshit because Thalia had seen Reyna fall asleep so fast, taking naps everywhere during the day from the kitchen counter to the floor next to her dogs. That girl could sleep anywhere, whenever she wanted. 

But Thalia rolled their eyes, took the blame, and shoved a bowl of spaghetti in Reyna's hands. 

"Eat," they ordered and stormed off to their room. 

They weren't as friendly to each other as they had been that early morning on the roof anymore. The tension was bound to rise of course, if you put two chaotic teens in a single apartment with no means of leaving, but sometimes, Thalia started to think that the pair got on each other's nerves on purpose to get a rise out of the other, and it was fun, frankly. 

Until they forgot to flush the toilet once and all hell broke loose.

  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: light mentions of abuse and underage drinking
> 
> update sept/30: so I was rereading this and I noticed wayyy too many typos (I should really start writing during the day and not at ungodly hours at night oops) anyway I think I fixed them all or at least the ones I noticed so! ENJOY

**Chapter ii**

The days started blurring together pretty fast. Thalia had no idea when April ended and May started and how their finals were getting closer and closer, but what they did know was that staying at home was definitely driving them up the wall. 

Their sleep schedule was even more messed up than usual, and somehow, they had managed to bring Reyna down with them which unfortunately made her more irritable. Anything Thalia did was considered a nuisance. Literally anything, from not realizing how late it was and plugging in their electric guitar into the amplifier to baking all sorts of chocolaty goods at ungodly hours. (But those Reyna excused as long as she got a piece of whatever it was that Thalia had concocted.) 

But mostly, they fought endlessly. Thalia was pretty sure that whenever Reyna yelled at them for leaving their dirty clothes on the bathroom floor or forgetting the milk carton outside the fridge for hours, she didn't _really_ mean it. Or at least, she hated Thalia a little less than before. Even as Thalia fought back to defend themselves, they still felt Reyna getting upset was totally justified, though they would never tell her that. 

As easy as it was to get on each other's nerves, they had definitely formed a bond that one early morning on the roof. They definitely trusted each other better. 

Thalia got to know Reyna a little more and when they weren't yelling, Reyna was actually pretty nice to Thalia, and she confided in her a lot now that she had basically come out to her. They shared a lot of their individual experiences with figuring out their sexualities and those were pretty much Thalia's favorite quality time spent with Reyna. Actually, those were the only times they ever spent some quality time together. Late at night, when the world was quiet, and they had nothing to do but sit around and talk about nothing and everything. Reyna was pretty insightful, they'd found out, and about pretty much everything in the world. How one person could store so much knowledge and have so many opinions, Thalia had no idea. 

It was Friday afternoon and Thalia only knew that because their alarm hadn't gone off that morning, the first day without classes. Sure, it was a study break, where they were supposed to be preparing for their finals, but that didn't mean Thalia couldn't sleep in. And procrastinate for as long as possible on their work. They were sitting on the couch, both dogs laying their heads on Thalia's lap, and they were petting them absentmindedly as they focused on the film playing on the television. They should have been studying hard, given that their first final and submission was on Tuesday, but they just couldn't bring themselves to turn on their laptop. Watching Maurice seemed like a much better option.

"Hey!" 

Thalia tilted their head against the back of the couch, staring upside down at Reyna walking in. She was dressed in a pair of jeans and a simple sweater, carrying a pair of boots in one hand and a backpack in the other. 

"You realize it's like the apocalypse out there, right?" Thalia joked, sitting back straight and staring at the screen as Hugh Grant came into the scene. 

"That's what the Doc Martens are for," Reyna went along with the joke, sitting down on the armchair next to the couch to slip on the boots. 

"Right, that's gonna scare the virus," they chuckled, glancing over at Reyna to see her roll her eyes. 

"I have to go home for a few days," Reyna explained which confused Thalia a lot, because 1- that's all the way in California and 2- in the middle of a pandemic? 

"What? Since when?" 

Reyna frowned as she finished lacing up her boots and stood up, walking over to Aurum to scratch his back softly. Thalia watched as his tail wagged like crazy. 

"I did tell you about it... right? Last week I think." 

Thalia shrugged their shoulders. "You probably did. I have the attention span and memory of a goldfish." 

"Yeah," Reyna scoffed, "I know." 

Thalia narrowed their eyes at her. "You're gonna drive to San Francisco?" 

Reyna didn't seem to like that idea either but she still nodded. "Yeah, kind of don't have a choice." 

"It's a forty-hour drive." 

"I know. My sister’s picking me up on the way. She'll be driving halfway." 

Thalia watched Reyna curiously. Personally, they would have never made that drive just to see their family (except for Jason, of course). How was Reyna so willing to drive for two whole days just because she had a "family thing", even if her sister was going to be driving some? They just couldn't wrap their mind around it. 

"What about finals?" Thalia suddenly remembered, having noticed Reyna studying harder than usual the past couple of days. Her exams were clearly soon. 

"Mine don't start till next week," Reyna reassured them. Okay, so she's just a nerd, who likes her family. What's that like? Thalia had no idea. 

And then, they found themselves offering the dumbest idea in the world. "How about I come with you? Like a tiny road trip!" Thalia realized that they were actually willing to be stuck in a car with Reyna for two days to get to California... where they knew no one. They were literally about to drop everything and go back a bag when Reyna laughed, shaking her head. 

"No, I need you to dog-sit these guys, actually," she told her instead. Thalia nodded as Reyna crouched down to the dogs' level, wrapping her arms around them tightly. They smiled at the cute scene. 

"Yeah, I can do that," Thalia agreed with a bright grin, petting Argentum's back. 

"I'm trusting you with my children," Reyna pointed a threatening finger in Thalia's face. "Each one of them better be in one piece when I'm back!" 

Thalia rolled their eyes, swatting Reyna's finger away. "I've taken care of dogs before. Don't worry about it! We'll be having a blast, right guys?" The dogs didn't answer. 

Reyna kissed each of the hounds on their heads before getting up and grabbing her backpack from the armchair. Then she made her way to the front door where she grabbed her keys, face mask, and other essentials. 

"Alright, I'll be back by Friday," Reyna told Thalia who had followed her with the dogs, leaning against the wall with their arms crossed. 

"Sounds good," Thalia replied. "Drive safe!" They stood there by the door as Reyna walked to the elevator and waited for it to get to their floor. 

"So, what's back home, anyway?" Thalia asked casually and when Reyna turned to glance back, they noticed an uncomfortable grimace on their face. 

"My parents wanted me and my sister to come back for the week. 'The house is too empty!' Or some other bullshit. At least..." She shrugged her shoulders, stepping into the elevator as the doors opened with a ding. "Maybe I'll tell them everything. It's about time." 

"Oh," Thalia raised their eyebrows in surprise, but still they smiled encouragingly and proudly at their roommate. "Good luck! I'm proud of you, Rey!" they called out as the doors started closing. 

They noticed a look of surprise pass over Reyna's face, her eyes widening and then she smiled brightly just as the doors closed, but not before replying with a soft, "thank you!" 

Thalia turned back to glance at the two dogs who were looking at them expectantly. "Alright, boys," they grinned at the two hounds. "Who's ready to have some fun?" 

Turns out, the fun only lasted for a day and a half. While running around the neighborhood until they were all exhausted, buying them some puppacinos, and throwing a ball around the building hallway on their floor was overwhelmingly exciting, their number going from three to two was NOT. 

Thalia had only turned around for a second. Their phone was ringing in the apartment, so they'd run back inside to grab it from its spot on the kitchen counter and answered it without reading the contact name as they walked back out into the hall while tossing a red bouncy ball in their other hand. 

"Quick, what's my favorite hospital dessert?" Thalia started on the phone. 

"Jell-O." 

"Jell-O! What— hey, how did you know that?" 

"Lucky guess!" Annabeth replied with an exasperated sigh. "What's up?" 

"Playing with the dogs in the hall! Aurum, Argentum, say hi to Annie—," Thalia cut themselves short as they stepped out into the hall, only to find it occupied by one rust colored hound, his brother nowhere to be found. 

"Cute! Send me pictures." 

"Uhm..."

"What? I know that voice." Annabeth demanded and Thalia could picture her narrowing her eyes. 

"What voice?" Thalia's voice had gone ten octaves higher. 

"Something's wrong. What's wrong? What did you do?" 

"Nothing!" Thalia snapped defensively, walking over to Aurum and grabbing him protectively by the collar, hoping he won't run off after Argentum. 

Thalia's heart was already beating a hundred miles an hour. They couldn't have lost a dog, could they? No way... this was not happening to them right now. 

"Look, I'll call you right back, Annie. I just have to— yeah, bye!" They hung up the phone hurriedly and ran back into the apartment to grab their keys and the leashes. They attached Aurum to his leash and then dragged him fast down the stairs. Hopefully, the door to the building's main lobby at the bottom was closed. 

But of course, their luck was never so great. The door was wide open, and Argentum was nowhere to be found. There was a delivery man standing by the main door which led to the busy streets of New York and Thalia wanted to order Aurum to attack him, but then again, he might not have been the one to have let him loose. 

"Hey, hey," they tried to grab the man's attention. "Have you seen a large dog? Looks like this one, but in grey?" 

The man looked up at them with a scowl on his face. You're not having a good day buddy? Well get in line! At least, you'll probably still have a neck by Friday! 

"Yeah." That's all he had to say? Gods... 

Thalia clenched their fists tighter, stomping over to the open door. "Well, did you see where he went?"

"I don't know, lady, can't you see I'm on the phone?" 

Thalia was just about ready to punch the guy just for that "lady" comment but they chose to ignore him, pushing past him instead and onto the thankfully empty sidewalk. And shit— they had forgotten their face-mask. Fuck, they were getting real tired of this pandemic. 

Untying the red bandana that was pushing their hair off their face, Thalia tied it back around their face, covering their nose and mouth, and then set off down the sidewalk with Aurum in hopes of catching Argentum. 

"Can you please find your brother so that I don't have to die? C'mon, boy. You're a good boy! Find your brother!" 

There was a slim chance that Aurum had understood them, but he still pulled them down the road and into an alley. Huh... maybe this could work. 

But of course, it didn't. Aurum had just dragged them to the nearest hotdog cart. With a heavy groan, Thalia flopped down on the nearest bench and grabbed their phone to call Annabeth, a deep and worried frown on their face. 

"Thal, what the hell's going on?" 

Thalia only pouted deeper. "I lost Argentum."

Annabeth was silent for a few moments, only her breathing audible on the other end of line. Thalia was imagining her pinching the bridge of her nose the way she always did when Thalia or Percy did something stupid. 

"You lost one of Reyna's dogs...?" Annabeth repeated to make sure she hadn't misheard Thalia, or possibly hoping she had. 

Thalia felt like they were going to cry as worry bubbled up in their chest. "Yes," their voice was soft and impossibly high. 

"Jesus Christ— you're dead." 

"I KNOW!" Thalia cried out loudly, a few heads turning to face them, including Aurum. He didn't like screaming apparently. "And it's your fault. If you hadn't called me—GAAH!" They let out another groan, pulling their legs up onto the bench and burying their face in their knees. 

Annabeth sighed heavily. "Look, where are you? Percy and I will come by and help you look." 

Thalia perked up at that. They gave Annabeth their address and waited until their friends made it. Meanwhile, they went around asking people on the sidewalk if they'd seen a dog who looked a lot like the one with them. No one had seen him. 

Annabeth and Percy were there about ten minutes later with Percy's little sister, Estelle, which quite frankly Thalia found very irresponsible, but they couldn't exactly give lectures on responsibilities right now. 

Thalia recounted exactly what had happened before they had lost the dog and with determination and a lot of concern, the three of them, along with the toddler sitting on Percy's shoulders and the other greyhound on his leash, set off around the streets of New York in search of Argentum. 

"Stop worrying! You're stomping on my vibes," Percy said as they walked through another alley. Thalia stopped dead in their tracks, glaring daggers at his back. 

"You and your vibes can go the fuck to hell!" 

Percy gasped loudly, covering his little sister's ears. "Hey, language!" 

Thalia rolled their eyes in irritation, but he was right. They should have been more careful around the kid. 

"She's heard worse from you, babe," Annabeth laughed softly, dangling a hotdog in the air, hoping somehow, the dog would smell it. 

"Whatever, let's just keep searching," Thalia grumbled and pushed past their friends, rounding a new corner. 

Annabeth fell into step with them, placing a reassuring hand on their shoulder (she was careful enough not to use the hand that was holding the hotdog). "Why are you so worried, anyway? You weren't this worried when you forgot Jason at the park when you were twelve," Annabeth chuckled and Thalia grimaced at the memory. They really were worried then, but Jason was having the time of his life, trying to eat pebbles. Fortunately, they had gotten there before he could choke or break his baby teeth. 

"Because— Reyna trusted me with this one thing and I should have been more careful. And now she's gonna murder me!" Thalia answered, feeling even worse than ever for letting Reyna down. 

"There's more to it than just that, I can tell," Percy intervened, walking on their other side. 

"He's right..." Annabeth murmured before letting out a small gasp. "No... you didn't!" 

"I didn't!" Thalia instantly defended themselves even though they had no idea what Annabeth was on about. 

Annabeth narrowed her eyes, having a hard time trusting Thalia’s word. "You totally did! You sl—," Finally, Thalia started understanding where Annabeth was going with this. And they didn't like it. 

"NO, I DID NOT!" They cut her off instantly, before she could even say the words. How could Annabeth, their best friend in the world, think they could compromise their next three years by making things awkward with their roommate who could barely stand them as it is? 

Sure... they've done that before. They could count the number of people they've made their relationship with pretty awkward by simply making out with them, or sometimes even sleeping with them, but those were people they usually didn't have to live with in such close proximities. They could handle awkward twelfth grade morning English classes, but probably not awkward living room encounters every single day for the next three years. 

But then again, they were living in really close proximities, having not seen any other person in so long, and having no one but one another to turn to. These things always happened... in movies. This was not a movie. (Just a poorly written fanfic eep). 

"But— you don't dislike her anymore! And don't even try to deny it!" Annabeth waved her index in front of Thalia's face which was really annoying. 

"I never disliked her... only when she is in her pissy moods. Which is all the time!" 

Annabeth and Percy snorted, sharing a look before they both wrapped one of their arms around Thalia's shoulders. 

"You’re totally attracted to her," Annabeth decided, which was completely and utterly ridiculous. The single most ridiculous thing they had ever heard. 

"Which is very reasonable," Percy continued, only to trail off awkwardly and drop his arm down to his side. Thalia glanced at Annabeth to see her shooting daggers at her boyfriend. "I'm just saying! She's pretty but of course, she's not as pretty as you, Annie. Actually, no one's prettier than you. I don't think anyone else is pretty. Actually, everyone else is really ugly. Even Thals." 

Thalia didn't even take it offensively because of how easily Percy was making a fool of himself. 

"Right, great save, seaweed brain," Thalia laughed softly, punching Percy's shoulder for that last comment. 

He yelped in pain, rubbing the spot over his hoodie, Annabeth giving Thalia a grateful look for saving her the trouble of punching him herself. 

As if on cue, Thalia's phone rang and it was none other than Reyna, as if their luck couldn't get any worse. 

"Aren't you gonna answer it?" Percy glanced over at them as Annabeth managed to steal a look at the screen. 

"You can't ignore her forever." 

"What am I gonna say? She'll literally choke me through the phone!" Thalia exclaimed in fear for their life. 

"I'd love to see that!" Percy noted only to earn himself a slap on the shoulder from both Annabeth and Thalia this time. "Hey, watch it! I'm carrying a sleepy baby!" 

Thalia only felt slightly guilty. 

"Here, I'll handle it!" Percy grabbed Thalia's phone from their hands, ignoring their complaints, and hoisted Estelle up on his waist. The little girl rubbed at her eyes sleepily, staring up at her older brother in confusion. "Hey, kiddo! You wanna play 'answer the phone'?" 

Thalia dreaded what was coming next as all the sleep left Estelle's eyes, replaced by excitement and she made grabby hands toward the phone. Percy smirked at his genius or possibly horrible idea. This could go either way. 

Percy answered the call and put it on speakerphone. 

"Hello! My name's Estelle Blophis and I'm two!" The toddler said with all her cute mispronounced words and lisps. 

Thalia could practically hear Reyna's confusion even when she didn't speak. 

And then, "what the fuck are you playing at, Grace?" 

Thalia face-palmed hard. 

"You said a no-no word! Percy, she said a no-no word!" Estelle cried out, almost poking her brother's eye out with her finger, but he was too busy trying to hold in his laughter to care. 

"Oh, you're so dead," Annabeth whispered in Thalia's ear. 

"Thalia, is that an _actual_ two-year-old on the phone? Did you kidnap a fucking child?" 

"Hey, language, okay?" Percy yelled into the phone. "She's two and has already learnt too many bad words." 

Reyna hesitated before answering. "I- Percy?" 

"Yes, now if you'll excuse us, Estelle and I have to go grab donuts. So, bye-bye! It was lovely talking to you, Reyna!" 

"Wait—," Reyna stopped him before he could hang up. "Where's Thalia?" 

Percy glanced at Thalia, his eyes widening in panic. Then, in a hurry, he tossed the phone over to Annabeth, who caught it right before it was about to slam onto the concrete. Thalia made a grab at Percy's collar, clenching their jaw at him and giving him the most threatening look they could muster. They could see Percy visibly swallow as he held out his free hand in surrender. 

"Hey, Reyna! Annabeth here! Thalia's in the bathroom, taking a shower. Or a poop. I don't know what they like to do in there for so long." 

"Probably masturba—," Thalia slapped Percy with a satisfying _CLAP._ That was gonna leave a mark. 

_"What was that?"_

Annabeth looked between Percy and Thalia, panicking even harder than Percy before speaking into the phone again, her voice becoming much more melodic than before.   
Thalia was so, majorly screwed. 

"Oh— Percy's little sister slapped him. Anyway, your dogs are just adorable!" 

"Thanks..." Reyna's tone was unsure. She was clearly starting to suspect something and Thalia could feel their heart hammering hard and fast in their chest. Fuck... she was onto them. "Can you just..." Reyna's voice changed then, and though Thalia couldn't exactly pinpoint exactly what it was, they felt even guiltier for hiding like that. "Tell Thalia to call me back when they're done?" 

Annabeth had never sounded more relieved to be off the phone with someone ever before. "Sure! You got it!" 

"Hey, quick question," Percy added just as soon as Annabeth was going to hang up. "What's Argentum's favorite place? Hypothetically speaking... if he were to be anywhere on a Sunday evening. Like in a hypothetical world where he could hypothetically get anywhere he wanted! Where would that be?" 

Thalia was a hundred percent sure their cover had been blown. Who uses hypothetically this many times in a sentence unless the situation was so not hypothetical? They were going to strangle Percy. 

"Uhm...." Reyna took a second to actually think of an answer though. She probably didn't take Percy seriously, and then again anyone who's ever met him probably wouldn't. Unless they meet him on his bad days. But those are very rare. Thalia envied his always-goofy nature. "Bacchus Park." She sounded pretty certain so maybe that was a win? 

Percy was grinning triumphantly from ear to ear. "Okay, great! Thank you, Reyrey! Bye-bye!" Percy ended the call instantly just as Reyna was probably about to yell at him for using that nickname. 

He handed Thalia their phone back, a more excited jump in his steps. "It's just a few minutes from here, come on!" 

And then they all started walking as fast as their legs allowed them in the direction of the dog park. 

"Do you often find yourself at dog parks, Perseus?" Thalia teased him but he was too excited about his plan actually working to take Thalia's insult to heart. 

"Yes, where else would I meet cute golden retrievers?" 

Fair point. 

The group made it to the park not long after and just their luck, it was closed. Goddamn lockdown... 

With a frustrated groan, Thalia kicked the gate and slid down to the ground. Aurum let out a small whine, sitting down with his paws and chin in their lap. "I'm toast. That's it. I'm dead. If Reyna doesn't kill me, I'll just sit there until I slowly start to disintegrate, until Thalia ceases to exist. Until I am reduced to nothing but a single—," 

"DOGGY!" 

Thalia's head snapped up as Estelle excitedly exclaimed the animal's name again. 

"Huh? Where?" Annabeth asked her and the toddler pointed past the gate, to one of the trees a few feet away. Sure enough, there was a grey hound, trying to dig a hole in the soft ground. 

"Oh my gosh... it worked... we found him!" Thalia laughed in disbelief shooting up to their feet. They cupped their mouth with their hands and called out, "Argentum!" 

The dog's ears perked up and he turned around, seeing Thalia and his brother. His tail started wagging fast but instead of coming over, he started running in the opposite direction. 

"You little shit..." Thalia had had enough. They handed Aurum's leash aggressively over to Annabeth and took a few steps back from the large gate. They could still see the dog... right, they could do this. They could catch up to him. 

Okay... 

Taking a deep breath, Thalia sprinted toward the gate and latched on to the bars tightly with their hands as high as they could. Thankfully, they were tall enough to reach pretty high. It wasn't long before they were standing on top and flinging themselves onto the ground on the other side of the gate. 

"You could get arrested for this..." Annabeth warned them. Thalia shrugged easily, already sprinting after the dog. 

"Don't fucking care anymore!" They called back as they ran faster, trying to catch up with the greyhound. 

Fortunately, the dog was only playing, so he didn't put his entire speed to test and Thalia was able to tackle him, falling right into a puddle of mud. 

"You're not going anywhere," they grumbled through gritted teeth, clicking the leash they had brought with them into the dog's collar. 

Standing up, they started pulling Argentum back toward the gate and the dog happily followed them, as though he hadn't even run away in the first place. 

"How did you even get inside?" Thalia asked him in disbelief. As far as they could tell, there weren't any other ways in. 

Climbing back over the gate with a dog was pretty hard and they had to use the help of both Annabeth and Percy but eventually, they managed, and they were on their way back home. 

With the dogs safely in their tiny beds and all the windows in the apartment closed (Thalia wasn't taking _any_ risks anymore), they finally let themselves relax and take an actual shower to rinse the mud off their body and out of their hair. 

Once they were in clean clothes and sitting comfortably in the living room with a bowl of instant noodles, Thalia remembered that Reyna had needed to talk to her. With both dogs safe now, there was nothing to worry about anymore... right? 

They opened their contacts app and decided to call Reyna on FaceTime instead. For some reason, they thought they would have to prove to her that everyone was at home, safe and sound. 

Reyna didn't answer the first time, so Thalia gave her a few minutes before dialing her number again. This time, she answered on the second ring. 

Reyna's face popped up on the screen, barely visible with the lights in the room she was in shut off. Thalia could tell she had the hood of her sweater covering her head and she was lying down on her side in bed, talking from her computer. 

"Hey! That was one hell of a long shit you were taking," Reyna greeted them and Thalia let out a loud snort, almost choking on their noodles. 

"Yeah, sorry about that," they replied sheepishly once they had safely swallowed their food. 

"Don't worry about it," Reyna laughed softly. "Was it at least a nice poop?" 

Thalia grinned at the question, a million different, repulsive ways of answering that question flooding their thoughts but the most prominent one was a big, flashy, neon sign that read LIAR. 

With a sigh, they dropped their grin, setting their bowl on the coffee table. "I wasn't pooping... I was kind of... uhm..." why was it so hard to admit this? Jeez. "I kind of... looked away for a second? And lost Argentum for a moment? So, I was kind of—," 

"YOU WHAT?" 

"—looking for him?"

Thalia's face contorted in pain at Reyna's tone. She was clearly angry. She had sat up in bed completely, the hood falling off from over her head. "What? I trusted you, Thalia! The one thing I trusted you with!" 

"I know, I know!" Thalia had never felt guiltier about anything else. "I feel horrible but— he's safe. I promise! Look!" They turned the camera around to show Reyna the two dogs napping soundly on their beds. 

Reyna didn't look any less furious. 

"What happened?" 

So, Thalia recounted the story from the second they had realized that Argentum was gone to finding him at the park. 

"I’m pretty sure they could arrest you for trespassing," Reyna pointed out; her and her pre-law major. Ugh... 

"They should arrest Arge for trespassing. I was simply retrieving him!" Thalia defended themselves and Reyna managed a small smile, barely visible in the darkness. 

"Nah, he's a good boy." 

Thalia couldn't disagree, to be honest, as much shit as he'd put them through today. 

"Are you sure he's okay?" Reyna asked, some worry laced in her voice and Thalia nodded quickly. 

"Yes, I checked and double-checked! He's doing great!" 

Reyna nodded, finally lying back down in bed in relief. 

"So, you're not mad?" Thalia asked her hopefully. 

"No, it's okay. It could've happened to anyone." 

Thalia smiled at her for being so understanding. The one thing Reyna doesn't actually yell at her for... wow, something must have been seriously wrong with the universe today. 

They didn't say anything for a few seconds. Thalia ate some more of her noodles, watching as Reyna watched them back, fiddling with the string on her hoodie. 

"Isn't it like six o'clock over there? Why are you sitting in the dark?" Thalia wondered with a small chuckle, slurping on the last forkful of noodles before setting the empty bowl down on the table. 

"Uhh... yeah, I'm just tired from driving yesterday and Friday." 

Thalia didn't believe her. Reyna did look tired, but there was more to it than just driving around for two days. "Are you okay?" Thalia asked her, their voice becoming much gentler, laced with a little bit of concern. 

"Yeah, yeah! I'm fine, absolutely." Reyna clicked her tongue, nodding her head eagerly. 

No, you're not. But Thalia wasn't going to pressure her into talking when she was clearly uncomfortable. So, they changed the subject. 

"Right, so, what did you wanna talk about when you called a while ago?" 

Reyna's gaze moved to the ceiling for a second before turning back to the computer screen, chewing on her thumb, a habit Thalia had noticed she only did when she was stressed, mostly whenever she was studying from that giant textbook. 

"Just wanted to see how things were going, make sure the dogs are okay. Which, I was right to worry about, by the way!" 

Thalia still looked away sheepishly, even when they knew Reyna wasn't being very honest and forward. "Well, they're fine! We're all fine!" Thalia huffed with a playful roll of their eyes. 

"No thanks to you!" 

Thalia glared at the screen, only to be met by a teasing smirk. 

"What about you? How's the family?" Thalia decided to change the subject. 

Reyna shrugged awkwardly, leaning back into her pillow. "Turns out... my bisabuelo passed away two days ago and mother dearest had no idea how to break the news over the phone. The funeral was today and they didn't tell Hylla and I until this morning." 

"Oh gosh, that is just—," Thalia frowned, shaking their head softly. "I'm so sorry for your loss." 

Reyna shrugged again. "S'okay. I barely even knew the guy." 

"Was there any good food at the reception at least?" Thalia was very awkward when it came to such sensitive topics as death. They'd known people who were now gone, but still, how were you supposed to comfort someone? Nothing had worked for them back then. 

Reyna found that question funny. "Are you kidding?" She exclaimed. "It was strictly Puerto Ricans. The food was fantastic." 

Thalia let out a small laugh, grinning widely at that. "Hey, at least you have real food." 

"Which I probably won't get to enjoy for long. My family does not know how to social distance," Reyna complained with anger bubbling up in her voice. As the germ-freak Thalia had grown to know her as, she must have been really freaked out the entire day. 

"Jeez... Why don't you stay there for a couple more days... or weeks, you know, until we're sure you're not sick?" Thalia asked nervously, not wanting to catch any germs themselves. Being sick was the last thing they needed right now. 

"No, I'm coming back tomorrow morning. You can quarantine with me and Corona. She's pretty nice actually, very misunderstood!" 

"Oh, so she's a she?" Thalia laughed, finding Reyna's joke hilarious until they realized what she had said first. "Wait, I thought you were staying till Friday?" 

Reyna's smile faltered a little and she shook her head slowly. "No, I'm driving back first thing in the morning," she explained and then before Thalia could ask her about it, she added, "I kinda miss having someone to yell at, instead of being the one yelled at." She let out a chuckle though it was more bitter than playful. 

Thalia frowned deeply at that, her brow furrowing in concern. "What? Who's yelling at you? That's not how this works. Do they know that you're the only one allowed to do the yelling?"

Reyna cracked a smile but it never reached her eyes. "Oh, you know, just my dad. The usual stuff. Like," Reyna cleared her throat and pointed a finger at the screen with her eyes narrowed, using a much gruffer voice. " _Es un pecador! Tú no eres mi hija! Ahora creo que no te conozco. Déjame en paz._ " And then, in her normal voice, "You know. The usual things dads yell at their children." 

Thalia didn't really get any of that Spanish, but they were pretty sure it wasn't anything dads usually yelled at their children about. They got some of the words like "you are not my daughter," and putting two and two together, they figured out what it must have all been about. 

"So, you told your parents?" 

Reyna nodded, drawling out the word "Yup," and popping the 'p' at the end. 

"It didn't go so well, then?" Thalia asked quietly, her eyes softening a little. 

"Nope!" She popped the 'p' again. "My dumb ass thought it'd be a great idea to talk about it at breakfast before mom had even told us about bisabuelo's death so... yeah, great timing, Reyna!" 

The sarcasm was worse than usual and Thalia grimaced a little, though their heart ached for Reyna. "I'm really sorry about that... but anyway, I'm here for you, if you need anything at all. I can be your mom and dad now. I've perfected the role, actually." 

Reyna let out a soft laugh and it was enough to let Thalia know that at least she was okay for now. "Thanks, Thal... but that's kinda weird." 

Eh, well. 

"Hylla was fine with it, at least. Mom hasn't actually said anything to me yet... I think she's in denial. But it's not like I was looking for their approval anyway. It would've been nice, but I wasn't expecting anything more." 

Thalia gave her a small, comforting smile. They knew they had it better than others in terms of being accepted in their family. Thalia wasn't judged based on their gender and sexuality in their family. It was more because they didn't want to be the best plastic surgeon in the region like their older brother, or the greatest women's rights activist like their sister, or just a straight A student and top athlete like their baby brother. Hell, their dad probably would've settled for them to be into farming and agriculture like their aunt D who preferred living with cows, horses, and corn fields and honestly, Thalia could definitely see the appeal. 

Reyna was everything Thalia's family wished for them to be. And yet, her own family disregarded all of her achievements because she also liked girls. 

It hurt them, seeing Reyna vulnerable like that. They couldn't imagine how Reyna must have been feeling. All they wanted to do was hug her, even if she wouldn't probably let her. Reyna was what you called the opposite of touchy-feely. Thalia wasn't that open to being touched either, but who could ever say no to a good hug? Reyna apparently, but that didn't stop them as soon as she was back. 

It was Wednesday afternoon and Thalia was in the middle of presenting one of their projects. They held up the piece of clay abstractly shaped like some sort of humanoid thing that they had no idea what it represented exactly, but they went along with spewing complete bullshit to explain their intricate design and the meaning behind it and their professors seemed to eat it up, so they kept going. 

They heard the front door open and suddenly, both dogs that were snoring quietly on their bed were up and running out of Thalia's room and to the front door, barking rather loudly. Thalia grimaced, sending an apologetic smile at the camera. 

"So, yeah... that's why I call it... uhm..." Well, they hadn't thought of a name yet. "Reyna?" Thalia furrowed their eyebrows as a very tired Reyna walked in and collapsed onto Thalia's bed. Thalia glanced between the camera and their bed and then back at the camera, hoping Reyna was out of the shot. She was, thank god. 

"Like "A queen?" I love it!" The professor exclaimed and Reyna's head shot up so fast, her eyes widening in fear of having crashing Thalia's exam, which she totally had. "Great job, miss Grace. You'll have your grade by next week. All right, who's next?" Thalia rushed to mute themselves and turn their camera off as it was another kid's turn to present their work. Their grip around the piece of clay had tightened a lot at being misgendered, and normally they would've corrected the old professor as they passive-aggressively did every single time after he had refused to accept it the first time they had told him, but they were more focused on Reyna now. 

Thalia tossed the weird art piece on their desk and moved to the bed, standing in front of Reyna with an amused glint in their eyes, arms crossed over their chest. 

Reyna still looked horrified. "Are you muted?" she whispered and Thalia laughed, nodding their head. 

"Yeah, I'm done. Although, you almost cost me a grade!" They playfully accused Reyna who turned to hug Thalia's pillow to their chest, a look of guilt washing over her face. Aurum and Argentum rushed over to the bed, taking up any empty space left and snuggling up to Reyna's side. She happily gave them all the attention they wanted, accepting their very wet kisses. Thalia guessed Reyna needed that touch of affection as much as they did if not more. 

"You didn't correct that asshole," Reyna murmured once she had managed to get away from the dogs' slobbery tongues. 

Thalia shrugged their shoulders, sitting on the edge of their bed. "Doesn't matter now, I've been doing all semester long." They let out a soft sigh, placing a gentle hand on Reyna's shoulder. 

"It does matter, Thal. Of course, it does. It's who you are."

Why was this bothering Reyna a lot more than it did Thalia? They figured it must have had something to do with whatever happened over the weekend. 

"You okay?" Thalia asked her in a murmur, squeezing her shoulder comfortingly. 

Reyna nodded, pulling at the strings of her jacket to close the hood over her face. "Peachy!" 

"She's lying, isn't she, boys?" The dogs barked in confirmation, making them laugh. So, they did have a lie-detector installed.

Aurum jumped on top of Reyna, bopping his snout on her covered face. Reyna grabbed onto his neck and nuzzled his fur. 

"Hey," Thalia shoved Reyna's shoulder playfully, moving in closer to her side. "I'm gonna hug you now." 

"No, you're not." Reyna wasn't calling Thalia's bluff. She was ordering her not to. 

Thalia grinned in response. "I totally am." 

Reyna lifted her head and having the advantage of only showing her eyes, she glared at Thalia, the effect much more frightening than usual. "No, you're not." 

"I am," Thalia told her softly, opening their arms wide and wrapping them around Reyna's smaller frame. And even though Reyna was so averse to their show of affection, she still laid her chin on Thalia's shoulder, though she still refused to hug them back. Thalia didn't mind. They rubbed the small of her back softly until Reyna finally caved in and loosely wrapped her arms around Thalia's waist. 

Reyna pulled away first, leaning her back against the bed frame and using the palms of her hands to rub at her eyes. 

"Thanks," Reyna whispered softly, her chest deflating with a heavy sigh. 

"Sure," Thalia smiled, flicking Reyna's nose playfully. They knew Reyna hated that, but they didn't expect their hand to be swatted away _that_ hard, jeez. As Thalia's hand fell back into their lap, it brushed over Reyna's hoodie, pushing it back. 

"Don't push your luck, Grace."

Thalia didn't have a snarky remark this time. They were frowning instead as they looked at the purple bruise on Reyna's cheek. They lifted their finger up but kept it hovering over Reyna's cheek, not wanting to overstep any boundaries. 

"What the hell happened?" Thalia murmured, their tone laced with worry. They were really hoping Reyna would say that she was too clumsy and walked straight into a cabinet door or something, but that was more like wishful thinking. 

"Nothing, don't worry about it," Reyna answered quickly, avoiding Thalia's intense gaze.

This time, Thalia didn't hesitate in running the pads of their index and middle fingers lightly over the bruise. Reyna didn't even wince. Thalia had known lesser wounds, and they could have sworn that they still hurt enough to grimace. Reyna's face remained stoic. 

"Please tell me you walked into a door or something," Thalia hoped, their hand remaining on Reyna's face, fingers gently tracing around the bruise. 

Reyna actually snorted, cracking a ghost of a smile. "No, but I bet a door would have been nice enough to jab me in the side and not the face." Seriously? She was joking about this? 

It made sense now why Reyna was sitting in complete darkness when they had called her the other day, or why she'd had the hood of her sweater on for the past few minutes since arriving. It still didn't sit right with Thalia; especially how nonchalant she was being about it all. 

"Did your dad do this?" 

Thalia was really hoping for a no, but Reyna just shrugged her shoulders. "You should see his face," she shot Thalia an actual, shit-eating grin and they let out a chuckle in disbelief. 

Sure enough, as they glanced down at Reyna's hands, they saw a healing scab wound on her right knuckles. "You clocked your dad?" 

"He deserved it," Reyna responded like it was the most casual thing to say on earth. Thalia was nothing short of impressed. They'd always known Reyna was not someone to be messed with. It was easy to believe her words but that didn't stop them from being hard to believe. 

"I agree with you on that," Thalia breathed out, still staring at Reyna with a stunned expression. "Actually...Can I pay you to punch my dad's wife?" Thalia grinned crookedly at Reyna who raised an eyebrow in response but still shrugged and nodded along. 

"Yeah, might do it for free if I'm still riled up." 

Thalia's grin only widened. Then, they got up and wiggled their fingers in Reyna's face. "C'mon, let's get that iced. I'm pretty sure you haven't been taking care of it properly." 

The look Reyna gave them — or rather tried really hard to cover by looking away — only confirmed their suspicion. Reyna reluctantly took Thalia's hand and let them lead the way to the kitchen. Thalia opened the freezer and pulled out the first frozen item they could find, a literal chicken breast which was fortunately still in its packaging and handed it over to Reyna. 

"On your cheek, c'mon!" They ordered but Reyna was staring at the frozen chicken in her hands, eyeing it with a grimace on her face. "It's just chicken." 

"Exactly! It's raw chicken!" 

"Would you rather I freeze a cooked chicken and give it to you?" 

Reyna looked at Thalia with a very unamused face and pushed past them to the freezer where they stuck the chicken back in its place and grabbed an ice tray. She made her way over to one of the many drawers next, grabbing a Ziploc bag, and emptied the ice cubes inside. She covered the Ziploc bag with a kitchen towel and only then did she finally hold it up to her cheek, only flinching a little bit at the cold. 

Thalia watched in awe. "That was supposed to hurt a lot more." 

Reyna pulled the corners of her mouth down in a tiny mouth-shrug. "Doesn't really. I've had worse." That didn't sit well with Thalia at all. 

Reyna probably had a worse childhood than she ever let on. Thalia wondered if the scar in her left eyebrow was just a clumsy childhood mishap or something no child should have ever had to experience. Suddenly, they felt the urge to reach over and trace a finger over the small, subtle spot in her brow that no longer grew any hair. It was barely noticeable, but it was one of the first things Thalia had noticed as they had gotten to know Reyna better. It had always been sort of endearing to Thalia, always wondering what kind of stupid childhood story Reyna had about that scar. Thalia had thought that they had plenty of their own stories to match. They weren't so sure now. 

They didn't ask of course, not wanting to make Reyna more uncomfortable. Instead, they asked the only logical question in that moment. 

"Wanna get drunk?" 

Thalia had expected Reyna to shoot them down as she always did whenever they suggested it. Instead, they watched as Reyna nodded eagerly and walked over to the fridge, grabbing two bottles of beer and handing one to Thalia. 

Thalia grinned, their eyes only slightly wider than usual, both pleased and surprised. "Cheers," they chuckled, clinking their bottle against Reyna's and taking a sip.

The two of them basically emptied the fridge of all the beer bottles pretty fast. They had put on The Office on Netflix and started a drinking game where they took a shot whenever any of the characters did anything predictable. Whenever Jim looked directly at the camera, whenever someone made a "that's what she said" joke, whenever Angela mentioned her cats. Any time they suffered from second hand embarrassment whenever Michael did something that was very Michael. So, naturally, they were out of beer two episodes in and a half. 

Thalia and Reyna moved on to the tequila bottle they found in one of the cabinets. They didn't remember when they had actually bought it, but they were grateful for it. 

They didn't bother grabbing any glasses, instead taking turns sipping directly from the bottle. They realized it wasn't a very smart decision because of the whole pandemic issue but they weren't drinking to make any smart decisions anyway. 

"Okay, never have I ever," Reyna took a small sip, "Actually binged this show before." 

Thalia gasped loudly, stealing the bottle of tequila from Reyna and giving her their best judgmental eyes. "First of all, you're not supposed to drink if you've never done it. And second of all, I am ashamed of being associated with you right now." Thalia took a longer than necessary swig before setting the bottle on the floor between them and Reyna. 

They didn't exactly know why they had decided that sitting on the carpet would be a better idea than the couch but they didn't really care at this point. 

"Not my fault!" Reyna defended herself but that was no excuse. No one could ever reach the ripe old age of 18 and not have binged the Office at least twice. All episodes. Even the series finale. 

"Totally is your fault!" Thalia exclaimed, pointing their finger at Reyna's face, only they hadn't expected her to go for a bite this time instead of her usual swat and Thalia hastily pulled their hand back before it could get mauled. "Never have I ever tried to bite off my roommate's finger!" Thalia snapped in response.

Reyna beamed unapologetically and took another sip. "Never have I ever given my roommate reasonable cause to bite their finger off." 

"Never have I ever thought that I'd be living with Hannibal." 

"Never have I ever thought that I'd be living with the single most infuriating person to have ever walked the earth!" 

"You're infuriating. I'll drink to that!" Thalia gave Reyna a lazy smirk, holding the bottle of tequila up in the air and placing the rim to their lips. And with a muffled "cheers," they took another shot. 

"You're so insufferable!" Reyna groaned, flopping down onto her back with her head against one of the couch cushions that had fallen onto the ground. 

"You're impossible!" Thalia snapped in response. They sat up on their knees, leaning over Reyna and staring down at her with a wide and amused smile. 

"You don't actually think that. Drink."

Thalia didn't argue and took a swig. "You don't actually think I'm annoying," they countered after swallowing back the alcohol, clearing their throat to ease the satisfying burning sensation. 

"I actually do," Reyna laughed, poking Thalia right above their belly. "You're the most annoying person I've possibly ever met, but for some reason I find it endearing." 

Thalia was too stunned in their drunken state to even process that compliment. Instead of their usual cocky remark though, Thalia pouted their lips, staring doe-eyed at Reyna who looked like she was ready to take back her words. "You think I'm endearing?" 

Reyna shook her head furiously. "Nope! I literally dislike you intensely. You're irritating beyond belief! There's literally never been a day where you haven't gotten on my nerves!" She exclaimed but Thalia couldn't trust her words anymore as their lips slowly spread into the widest grin they could pull. 

"But you still enjoy it when I'm getting on your nerves," Thalia wiggled their eyebrows ridiculously though they were pretty sure their brows weren't moving in the way they wanted them to. Reyna burst out laughing then, confirming Thalia's worries. 

"Sure, when you're doing some really dumb shit like that!" 

Thalia's mouth fell wide-open, taking major offence. "I'll show you some really dumb shit!" 

The half empty bottle of tequila was long forgotten, left behind them on the carpet as Thalia tackled Reyna, grabbing her by the arms and trying to wrestle her. What Thalia had forgotten was that Reyna was actually much stronger than she let on and it was pretty easy for her to release her arms from Thalia's grip and wrap them around their torso instead, one leg over theirs, and managing to flip them around until she was the one who had Thalia pinned against the ground and as much as they squirmed, trying to achieve freedom, Reyna's grip was like steel around their arms, holding them high above Thalia's head. 

"That really was some super dumb shit," Reyna told them with a wide, crooked grin, her teeth on full display and as much as Thalia detested having lost that battle, they found themselves stop trying to fight back, instead staring up at Reyna and grinning back. 

Yup. Really dumb shit. 

"What can I say? "Dumb Shit" is my middle name." 

Reyna rolled her eyes, her fingers loosening their grip around Thalia's arms but she never moved away. And that got Thalia to think some really, really dumb shit. 

"Should be your first name," Reyna teased them but Thalia was starting to fear that was going to be true pretty soon. Is that what a self-fulfilling prophecy was? 

Thalia only nodded their head, afraid of saying or doing anything else they might regret when they sobered up. Drunk Thalia was not a Thalia that ever made sound decisions. Hell, sober Thalia made more questionable decisions than actual good ones. So, you can figure out what drunk Thalia decisions were like. Not good, to put it simply. 

"But then again, I think I like 'Thalia' better," Reyna murmured, her smile faltering a little but the glint in her eyes was still there. She leaned in closer, a little hesitantly. When Reyna spoke again, her voice was much quieter, barely above a whisper, and it made Thalia's breathing hitch. "Never have I ever wanted to kiss my roommate." 

They have. 

Thalia sometimes wanted to kick their drunk self where the sun don't shine, and other times, they wanted to kiss them silly. They weren't sure what they wanted to do with Drunk Thalia right now but they figured they'd leave that up to sober, hung-over Thalia tomorrow morning. 

Thalia reached up with their hand and gently cupped Reyna's cheek, careful enough not to touch her bruise, and pulled her down until their lips brushed against one another. They both froze for a moment, unsure of what to do next, or what it all meant, but then, Reyna grabbed Thalia's face in her hands and pressed her lips against theirs much firmer, much surer of herself, and she kissed Thalia with no hesitation. 

Thalia felt like their mind was going haywire. What the hell were they doing? They were going to regret this in the morning, but oh god, Reyna was kissing them, and fuck, her lips were so soft and so warm against theirs and she was really such a good kisser and... shit, Thalia found themselves closing their eyes and tangling their hands in Reyna's loose braid that had mostly come undone and they were pulling her closer, inhaling the strong smell of booze mixed with the flower scented detergent they both used in their laundry and Reyna's citrus scented perfume. 

Thalia ran their tongue over Reyna's lips, asking for permission and Reyna responded almost immediately, parting her lips a fraction so Thalia could push their tongue in. And she tasted like tequila and Thalia seemed to enjoy it even more like this. Their heart was trying to punch its way out of their chest, and they felt their insides flip as Reyna's hand came to settle on their side that had become exposed as they were rolling on the ground and their shirt had slid up just above their hipbones and— Reyna pulled away. 

Thalia was breathing heavily on the carpet, opening their eyes to look at Reyna only to find that she was holding the back of her hand against her mouth, a look of discomfort contorting her face. Her complexion had turned into a sickly yellow shade, her chest heaving. 

"Are you oka—," Thalia started to ask her but Reyna shook her head and pushed herself up onto her feet. 

"Gonna puke!" She called out as she dashed to the bathroom, kicking the door open with a loud bang. That made the dogs jump up in alarm and let out a few barks until they realized they were safe. 

"Oh, shit..." Thalia scrambled up to their feet and made their way after Reyna. As they walked into the bathroom, they found Reyna on her knees, clutching the toilet seat with her head over the toilet bowl and then she heaved— letting out a painful, throaty groan as she threw up all the contents in her stomach. 

Thalia grimaced, trying to look away to avoid puking themselves as they crouched down by Reyna's side, pulling her hair off her face and placing a gentle hand on her back, moving it soothingly in circular motions. 

When Reyna was finally done, she reached up to flush the toilet and then turned around, flopping down on her butt and leaning her back against the wall. She pulled her knees up to her chest, hugging them close and Thalia got up to their feet to grab a small towel and run it under a stream of warm water. 

They handed Reyna the towel and crouched down to her level, placing their palms on each of her knees. 

"Am I really that repulsive?" Thalia asked jokingly, cracking a small smile as Reyna held the towel up to her face and instead of wiping it, she just leaned her head back against the wall and covered her face with the towel. 

Then, she nodded her head. "Yes," she replied in a tone so serious Thalia's smile dropped because they really had no idea if Reyna was actually joking or not. 

Thalia pouted, sitting down in the same position as Reyna. "Liar." 

Reyna pulled the towel down her face and then gave Thalia the laziest smile she could muster, her eyes glinting in amusement. "I'm definitely not!" 

"You totally are!" 

Before Thalia could even see it, the dirty-pukey towel was being balled up and tossed right at their face. They were lucky to be able to deflect it with their hands at the last second in their drunken state with a loud yelp in disgust. 

"EW— DAMMIT, RAMIREZ!" 

Reyna's shoulder shook as she laughed softly, placing her arm over her forehead. "You are totally repulsive. Like you forget to flush the toilet and I have to look at your floating shit." 

Thalia glared at her, holding up their pointer finger. "That happened one time. ONCE. Uno." 

Reyna murmured something in response but it made absolutely no sense to Thalia. It didn't even sound like English. It was probably all the alcohol slurring her words. "I didn't catch that." 

Reyna rolled her eyes. "It's "una vez." Not _uno_." 

Oh, so she was a smart ass even when she was too drunk to keep all the drinks in. 

Thalia flipped her off but they still pushed themselves up to their feet — their balance a tiny bit wobbly — and held their hand out to help Reyna up. Reyna accepted the offered hand and also pulled herself up onto shaky legs. She then grabbed onto the sink and turned the faucet on to rinse her mouth. 

When she was done, Thalia grabbed her by the hand again and dragged her all the way to her room. Reyna tiredly slumped onto her bed, pulling the blanket up to her chin and melting right into her mattress. 

"Next time you ask me to get drunk, remind me to kindly decline," Reyna mumbled through a yawn and proceeded to bury her face into her pillow. As insulting as her comment was, Thalia still found it adorable. 

"Do you not wanna kiss me again that badly?" Thalia would say that only their drunk self would ever make such a joke but they were sure that even sober them would have probably impulsively blurted it out before weighing out the consequences. 

To their surprise, Reyna sent them a smile, chuckling softly while hugging their pillow even closer. "No, I liked it." Thalia wasn't sure they heard it right. They were both way too drunk, and Reyna's words were muffled by the pillow and her tongue was slurring her words due to the alcohol in her system. 

Maybe they had misheard her... but either way, they smiled back, still a little bit in shock, and flicked the lights off. 

"Goodnight, Ramírez," Thalia chuckled, grabbing the door handle to close it on their way out. 

Reyna yawned again. "Night, Grace," she sleepily responded. Argentum dashed into the room then and jumped right next to Reyna who clung onto him and snuggled up real close as sleep overtook her. 

With a small smile, Thalia turned around into the hall and found Aurum stretching. They pet him gently as he followed his brother in the room and then closed the door softly behind them. 

With a stretch and a sigh, Thalia padded over to their room and collapsed in their bed onto their front, their face buried into the mattress. 

They weren't sure if they preferred the idea of being too drunk to remember the events of the night or were hoping that they were maybe just one drink away from forgetting it all and could wake up with the memory of Reyna's soft lips against theirs. 

With the thought of a pair of piercing black eyes, Thalia let sleep engulf them as they sunk deep under their covers. 


	3. Chapter 3

  
Thalia woke up the next morning with a banging headache... to the sound of banging pots. What the hell was that? 

With a heavy groan, they lifted their head off their pillow and squinted past the morning sunlight to check their phone. They found it on the nightstand and tapped on the screen which lit up instantly. 

01:36 p.m.   
Thursday, May 21st, 2020 

It wasn't morning at all. Well shit... 

They didn't have any exams that day thankfully, but an essay due at midnight... which they were supposed to wake up early to start writing. That plan was out the window. 

There was another loud whirring sound coming from the kitchen and Thalia buried their face in their pillow, letting a louder and even more frustrated groan. Couldn't they deal with their hangover in peace and quiet? 

With a heavy sigh, they pulled the covers off their body and stomped aggressively to the kitchen, arms crossed over their chest. They found Reyna leaving over the counter, still in her pyjamas, staring at the weird brown mix in the blender. 

"What the fuck's all that noise about?" Thalia demanded, making their way further inside the kitchen. 

Reyna jumped in surprise, turning around to face Thalia with wide eyes, the whirring sound immediately ceasing as she flicked off the blender. And suddenly, memories of the previous night flooded Thalia's thoughts. It didn't matter that Reyna currently looked as pale as a ghost, her hair tied up in a disheveled bun, some of it falling over her face, and the bags under her eyes more prominent than ever before. Thalia remembered just how soft Reyna's lips were against theirs, and they wanted to experience it all over again. 

_Get your head out of the gutter, Grace_ , they scolded themselves. 

They tried to keep a glare going for appearance's sake and it seemed to work because Reyna looked a little guilty for waking Thalia up. 

"Sorry... just—," she waved her hand around the pile of ingredients on the counter and the unrecognisable mush inside the blender. "Hangover cure," Reyna explained in a very quiet and scratchy voice. "Sorry," she apologised right before hitting the on button on the blender again, and they both watched as the mixture of fruits and other mystery ingredients were gutted by the machine's small blades. 

It seemed like forever before Reyna turned the blender off and noise stopped. 

"Thank fuck!" Thalia yelled, throwing their hands up in the air exasperatedly and stormed back to their room and kicking the door shut behind them. They slipped under their bedsheets, hoping to catch some more sleep that would kill their headache, but they had no such luck. 

With their thoughts possessed by _Reyna_ , it was hard to shut their brain off long enough to slip back into their dreams. With a frustrated sigh, they rolled over to their side and checked their phone. 

They unlocked it and spent the next half hour scrolling through all of their notifications to get rid of all the annoying red numbers over each and every single application. They never understood how people could have hundreds of unread emails or messages. It's not like Thalia responded to every single message they received (they've left more people on read than they could ever count), but if ever they didn't want to respond to a message, they simply erased the entire conversation, as though it never happened. That probably wasn't very healthy, but it saved them the trouble of having to deal with the tiny red numbers that always seemed so irritatingly huge. They had a feeling Reyna was one of those people who had a number in the thousands hanging over her Mails app, or Messages app. The thought alone made them physically cringe and roll their shoulders in irk. 

They were in the middle of responding to some meme Percy had sent them last night that barely got a snort out of them (something about Elon Musk's baby's name which they could never figure out how to pronounce no natter how many times they YouTubed 'How to pronounce X Æ A-Xii', which they did way too many times) when Reyna knocked twice on their and cracked it open just a tiny bit. 

"I made you some coffee," she announced, poking her head in carefully to make sure Thalia was decent, a steaming cup in her hand. 

Thalia sat up in bed as Reyna opened the door further and walked over to them. She set the coffee down on the bedside table and held in both hands her own tall glass filled with a really dark and thick smoothie. 

"Whaaaat? I don't get any of that hangover cure that woke me up from trying to cure my hangover with a goodnight sleep?" Thalia exclaimed sarcastically as they reached over to grab the mug, the strong smell coffee completely taking over their sense of smell. 

Reyna shook her head, not in the mood to deal with a bitchy Thalia that morning. "It has whole milk in it. I don't need your white lactose intolerant ass to clog the toilet again." 

Thalia, of course, was deeply offended. It was true. They were a severely lactose intolerant ass, and sure, their ass was white, and they did clog the toilet once for shitting too much after eating an entire pint of strawberry cheesecake ice cream, but Reyna didn't have to call them out so loudly. Just for that, they reached over and snatched the cup from Reyna's hands. Reyna complained, trying to grab the smoothie back, but Thalia was already holding it up to their lips and taking a sip that was way too big. They could taste the milk among other fruity ingredients and they realised they had probably made a mistake and they would indeed end up farting all day and making trips to the bathroom, but the furious look on Reyna's face was totally worth it. Maybe... well, they convinced themselves that it was. 

With a small wince, they handed Reyna her smoothie and went for their coffee instead. "What's in there? That can't possibly be a hangover cure..." 

Reyna shrugged, taking a sip herself without making a face. Did she actually enjoy it? She couldn't have possibly enjoyed it... "It always works like a charm." Thalia found that hard to believe, but Reyna was already more energetic than she was a short while ago in the kitchen.

Thalia sipped at their coffee slowly, watching Reyna curiously. She was busy admiring the latest painting sitting on Thalia's easel, still in its early stages. They had only painted the background over the small outlines they had sketched with a pencil, still visible under the dark blue paint. 

"What's that going to be, then?" Reyna asked after a few moments, swallowing back another sip from her smoothie. 

"Why, you, of course!" Thalia said, offering a playful smile. "After that last portrait, I figured you're the best muse there is. I'm never painting anything else." 

Reyna glanced at Thalia, already tired of their bullshit but her lips still quirked up to match the glint in her eyes. "Sure. It is starting to look pretty lonely in the hallway." 

Thalia chuckled over her steaming hot coffee. "I'll make you some friends then." 

Reyna's grin took over her entire face then and Thalia felt their insides turn molten. And once again, they wanted nothing but to kiss Reyna again. 

Clearing their throat, Thalia jumped out of bed and walked toward the easel, studying the outline of the woman they had drawn. She was standing on a cliff, pointing an arrow toward the moon, the bowstring pulled all the way back. They weren't sure why they had chosen to paint a huntress, but it just felt right. 

"So, last night was fun..." Thalia started, not daring to turn around to see Reyna's expression. They focused on the details of their rough sketch, holding the rim of the cup up to their mouth and blowing cool air at the drink without really drinking any of it. 

"God, no," Reyna groaned in response and Thalia felt their grip on the mug loosen, almost dropping all of its contents onto the hardwood floor. They were standing on some old newspapers which were laid out to avoid getting paint everywhere, so a few drops of coffee weren't a problem. They tightened their fingers around the cup, hoping Reyna didn't notice the tiny incident. They heard Reyna's bare feet pad over the parqueted floor as she walked over to the door. "My head's never going to forgive me. And definitely not my stomach."

Thalia glanced over their shoulder just in time to see Reyna grimace at the thought of puking her guts out after having consumed so much alcohol. 

"How do we feel about pizza?" 

Thalia turned to face Reyna completely, standing with her shoulder against the doorframe, telephone already in her hand. 

"We like pizza," Thalia replied and with a quick nod, Reyna left the room, already dialling the pizza place's number. 

And just like that, it was like they never even shared that short intimate moment just hours ago. 

Reyna never mentioned it as they sat around the dining table in the kitchen, munching on slices of cheese pizza silently, each one of them busy working on their laptops. But Thalia kept looking up, stealing glimpses of Reyna, trying to figure out if she just didn't remember or she was ignoring them on purpose. 

Thalia regretted eating all that pizza that evening as they spent a while on the toilet, and even then, all they could think about was that stupid kiss and Reyna admitting that she had actually enjoyed it, suggesting that she wouldn't mind doing it again. 

Friday went by pretty slow, and Reyna once again, never even tried to talk to Thalia about their kiss. Everything was back to normal, their dynamic just as it was for all those months, bickering about nothing and everything. 

Thalia had their final exam on Saturday morning, and when they were finally done, they sat in the kitchen on the counter, eating straight from the Nutella jar with just a spoon, watching Reyna with her laptop and textbooks and notes sprawled out in front of her on the table, blue highlighter between her teeth, yellow in her left hand, pencil in her right, using it to scribble some words on one of the million papers. 

She looked like a true mess, with her messy braid falling over her shoulder, some of her hair falling over her face, her wrinkled pyjamas, the highlighter stains on her shirt and her arms. There were at least four mugs on the table and it was only noon. Thalia couldn't see why Reyna didn't just refill the same mug four times but they never asked. They just sat back, head leaning against the cabinet above the counter, legs dangling in the air in front of them, and holding up the spoon to their mouth every few seconds. 

It wasn't until Thalia was completely done with the jar and had placed it down on the counter rather loudly that Reyna finally looked up and seemed to notice their presence. 

"I—," her brow furrowed in confusion and she opened and closed her lips several times before finally settling on a frown as she asked Thalia how long they'd been sitting there. 

Thalia grinned in amusement, jumping down to land on their feet and stuffed their hands into the pockets of their sweats. "'Bout thirty minutes. You were _really_ focused. I didn't wanna bother you." 

Reyna raised an eyebrow. "So, you just sat there and stared at me creepily?" 

Okay... touché.

Thalia shrugged. "You're cute when you're studying in that little bubble of yours." And the panicky flirting began, great. 

They could see the tips of Reyna's ears turning red, moving her gaze back to her textbook and Thalia knew that she hadn't forgotten their kiss. She had been ignoring it, or pretending it never happened, and for some reason, that made Thalia's stomach drop and their smile falter. 

Thalia didn't bother Reyna the rest of the week as she was too focused with her exams and assignments. 

They wasted time instead with Annabeth and Percy, trying to keep the thought of Reyna's soft lips against theirs, the thought of her hands pressed against their hips, their hands running through her soft hair, out of their mind. 

They started joining Annabeth on her morning runs. On Wednesday, Reyna had a morning exam and the dogs were being annoying so Thalia even offered to take them on their run with Annabeth. 

They each took ahold of a leash and ran around the block and through the park for a few miles, until the dogs were exhausted, and so were they. Running with two greyhounds was not an easy task. 

But no matter how fast they ran or how loud they blasted the music in their ears, they couldn't escape the shape of Reyna's lips. Or the small scar in her eyebrow. Or that tiny freckle right above her lip. Or the way her eyes, so dark in shade, always seemed to manage to brighten their day. 

They collapsed on the patch of grass in the park, lying down on their backs and staring up at the sky as they tried to catch their breath. Annabeth stopped as she caught up to Thalia just a second later and Aurum and Argentum decided to flop down next to them as well, sticking their tongues out and panting hard. 

Thalia was only wearing a crop top with their running shorts (leaving most of their tattoos on display, mostly on purpose), but even then, they still felt too hot and sweaty and they were ready to rip off their melting skin. 

"Yeah, I'm never taking these guys out again. Even as a favour for Reyna," they breathed out, wiping the sweat off their brow with their sleeve. 

Annabeth breathed out a chuckle and sat down to their right, leaning her elbows on her knees. She observed Thalia with a suspicious smirk on her face and whatever was going on in that noggin of hers, Thalia didn't want to know. 

"You doin' okay?" Annabeth asked instead, flicking Thalia's knee with her hand only to retreat instantly with a small grimace. Who knew knees could sweat so much? 

Thalia just nodded their head, finding no energy to give her a verbal response. They let out a heavy breath, dropping their hand on Aurum's soft fur and giving him a good back-scratch. His tail wagged so hard, it smacked them in the side and it kinda hurt like being whipped, and no, they will never tell you how they know what that feels like. But only because they're sure that information will circle back to Percy. 

Annabeth didn't seem so convinced. She adjusted her navy New York Yankees baseball cap, brushing the loose strands of sweaty blonde curls that were sticking to her forehead under it, and leaned back on her hands, drinking in the warm sun rays. "I know you, Thals. You've got your thinking face on. Something happened." 

Thalia turned their head to look at Annabeth, squinting under the heavy sun to see better. They should've listened to Annabeth and brought a cap. Oh, well... "Something like what?" Playing dumb was playing it safe. 

"I don't know, you tell me." 

But then again, Annabeth was dangerous. You could never play it safe with Annabeth. 

Thalia shrugged their shoulders, turning their attention to a small family of three, playing with a ball on the other side of the trail. Thalia watched baseball being passed around from dad to kid to dad to dad to corgi. It was kind of cute. Their lips involuntarily curved upward. 

"I am literally the embodiment of 'no thoughts, head empty' right now," Thalia said and then pushed themselves up into a sitting position. They grabbed their water bottle and took a swig and then made sure the dogs got a few sips each. 

Annabeth threw her head back and cackled, but she wasn't going to let it go. She rarely ever did. "Come on," Annabeth laughed softly, nudging Thalia's foot with her own, tracking some mud onto their bright neon running shoes. Thalia frowned, furiously wiping at the stains. 

"Was that really necessary?" They grumbled and Annabeth grinned innocently from ear to ear. 

"Yes, now tell me. I can tell something's bothering you." 

Annabeth was nothing short of persistent and Thalia sometimes hated it. Well, actually, they always hated it, unless it was that one time it got them backstage passes to a Green Day show, and those few times it got Thalia and Percy out of detention.

"It's Reyna," Thalia finally admitted with a heavy sigh. Aurum and Argentum's ears perked up, recognising their human's name. 

Annabeth's eyebrows quirked up, not so much in surprise, but more in intrigue, silently asking Thalia to elaborate, which of course, they didn't. "What? Is she still yelling at you for not flushing the toilet?" 

Thalia shot Annabeth daggers. "That happened one time." 

"I heard it was explosive diarrhoea," Annabeth added, having a hard time containing her laughter. 

Thalia's eyes widened in horror because it most certainly was NOT explosive diarrhoea. It was just regular diarrhoea. They'd been sitting on the toilet for so long that by the time they got up they had simply forgotten to flush. It happens, okay? They're human. With the attention span and memory of a goldfish. Sue them. 

The daggers in Thalia's eyes turned into hundreds of piercing bullets from a machine gun. Annabeth held her hands up in defence but she was still grinning from ear to ear. 

"Who the fuck did you even hear it from?" 

"Jason," Annabeth answered casually which only confused Thalia even more. 

"Who the fuck told Jason?" 

Annabeth shrugged at that. "I don't know. But back to the main point. What's up with Reyna?"

Thalia avoided her gaze. They weren't sure how to tell Annabeth they had done the one thing they had bet her they would never do. But in their defence Reyna had sort of initiated it all. 

"What? Is this about what happened on Sunday? Did she get scary angry?" Annabeth tried, but Thalia shook their head. 

"No, actually, she was pretty calm and forgiving about that. Argentum's fine so..." 

"Right," Annabeth raked her brain, trying to figure out what was going on with her best friend. "So, what? Is she not being a good roommate? I thought she'd be so much better than the slob I'm stuck with." 

Thalia chuckled, agreeing with how messy Percy was. They weren't any better, and it was kinda freaky just how similar the two of them have always been, but they knew for a fact that Percy has forgotten to flush the toilet more times than they had, so they could totally laugh at Annabeth dissing him. 

"No, roommate-wise, she's great," Thalia sighed, pushing their fingers through their hair. It was getting much longer than they liked it. Maybe they'd persuade Annabeth into cutting their hair today.

Annabeth frowned. "Then, that just leaves me to believe that you totally fucked, but you're not that dumb..." Thalia made the mistake of glancing up at Annabeth while cringing at themselves and Annabeth's eyes widened double their normal size. "YOU SLEPT WITH HER?" 

"NO!" Thalia rushed to shut her up, noticing the family sitting across from them give them odd looks. "No, Jesus. We didn't sleep together." 

"Then _what_?" Annabeth demanded and with another sigh, Thalia gave her the answer she'd been waiting for all along. 

"We kinda... kissed?" Their words came out as more of a question than a confession but it was good enough for Annabeth to smack their shoulder and yell: 

"Shut up!"

Thalia slid away from Annabeth's reach, sending her a small glare. "Hey— don't— Annie, _stop_!" Thalia held their arm out in defence as they anticipated a second smack when Annabeth removed her baseball cap and held it out in a very threatening way. "It was totally her fault!" 

Annabeth narrowed her eyes at Thalia in suspicion. "How was it her fault? Did she just sit there looking all pretty?" 

Well, yeah, actually, but maybe Annabeth wasn't ready to hear that answer just yet. 

"No, we were really drunk. And then we were just teasing each other and she just kissed me!" 

"And you kissed her back?" 

"Of course, I'm not an idiot," Thalia retorted with a laugh. Who wouldn't kiss Reyna back? 

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Did you use tongue?" 

Thalia looked at her for a moment. What kind of question was that? They weren't sure why Annabeth was interrogating them like that but they just shrugged and sent her a small grin. "Yeah, duh." 

Annabeth nodded and then gave them a pointed look. "So, how is it her fault? You're both at fault." 

Thalia made a scoffing sound, turning their head to face the other direction. "Just because I enjoyed it, does not mean it was my fault!" 

Annabeth let out a small laugh, reclining in her seat on the grass, fingers woven over her exposed abs. "Whatever you say," Annabeth sighed heavily. "But if you say she initiated it and you enjoyed it, then, what's bothering you?" 

Thalia glanced at their best friend who was watching them with a burning gaze, trying to figure out the puzzle they were. If only she knew how much harder Reyna was to figure out. Now, she was a real riddle! 

Thalia ran their fingers over their hair, patting down all the strands that were sticking up during their run. They shuffled a little on the grass, staring uncomfortably at the blades of grass beneath them. 

"She just—," Thalia groaned, frustrated. "Totally ghosted me!" They flopped down next to Annabeth, arms stretched above their head. 

They couldn't see Annabeth's face but they knew she was giving them that confused look of hers, with her eyebrows raised. "Like— she's not talking to you or...?" 

"No, well not exactly. Like, we're talking. But we're talking like nothing happened. It's like, she's pretending it never happened." 

"Oh, right." Annabeth observed Thalia's face quietly. They were frowning, their eyes glazed over, deep in thought. They didn't understand why it was so hard for them to just do the same thing and pretend it never happened. It always used to be so easy to forget anything had ever happened. 

But they actually liked Reyna. Even when she was getting on their nerves. They really enjoyed hanging out with her and confiding in her was always so easy. Even their therapist hadn't gotten the privilege yet of hearing some of the problems they'd already told Reyna. 

And yet, non of it seemed to matter to Reyna. She was emotional that day, and she had just come back from a shitty family environment and Thalia was her comfort. So, of course, they understood why she must have had the urge to kiss them. And she was intoxicated. It made sense. But, so was Thalia. And yet, they were having a hard time forgetting it all. They were starting to wish they could just so that they could move on already and go back to bickering with their roommate day and night over dirty dishes and clogged toilets. 

"What did you want her to do about it, Thal?" 

Thalia looked at Annabeth and shrugged. They had no idea. "Maybe... just acknowledge it? Like hey! We kissed! That was weird! Let's never do it again! I think I'd prefer that over whatever this is." They let out a shaky breath, rubbing their cheek tiredly with their hand. 

"I mean... you could always talk to her about it?" 

Thalia snorted. "You're kidding, right? You know I'm just gonna burry this down until something happens on its own." 

Annabeth huffed out a sigh and nodded her head. "Yeah, I figured. That's why I suggested you go talk to her!" 

"Never gonna happen." 

They lay there for another few minutes, just basking in the sun until the dogs got agitated and they made their way back home. 

Thalia spent the rest of their time working on their art and at their job. They had to pay rent somehow. Whenever they weren't at that bakery downtown decorating cakes, they were in their room or on the roof, painting for commissions. People on the internet seemed to like their work and the extra bit of cash was always great, so they truly didn't mind painting SpongeBob and Patrick for thirty bucks. They probably enjoyed painting it a lot more than the person who was getting it was going to enjoy it probably. 

It went on like that for most of the summer. 

Percy had even filmed a stupid TikTok while he was in their room and their art was in the back. It had gotten a lot of attention and he somehow managed to convince them to make an account of their own and show off their art. Surprisingly, their videos blew up pretty fast. They weren't sure if people were just bored in quarantine or if they genuinely loved art but either way, soon enough, they were even able to make more money from them. They were getting even more commissions and selling dumb prints and handmade postcards. People seemed to enjoy those a lot. 

Reyna didn't bother them much either. She had her own job to focus on and she was taking a summer semester which wasn't all that surprising to Thalia. It was Reyna. She would rather die than take a break from studying. 

Reyna never even brought up that one drunken night. Ever. Thalia was close to beginning to believe that it was just a figment of their imagination. Except it wasn't. And every time they were in the same room as Reyna, they could still feel her lips against theirs and they wanted nothing but to kiss her again. 

They never said anything. 

July came by pretty quick and of course, Thalia remembered Reyna's birthday. It was clear that Reyna didn't want to make a big deal out of it because she never even mentioned it once. 

So, on the day of her birthday, Thalia pretty much spent the day as they normally would have. It was a Saturday so they headed over to the bakery pretty early and started working on the cakes that were ordered for the day. It was a pretty slow day so they managed to make an extra one. Just a single layer of dulce de leche ice cream cake with some pink, purple, and blue frosting on top. 

It wasn't much, but they knew dulce de leche was Reyna's go-to ice cream flavour, and of course, the bisexual colour pattern in the frosting. Even if Reyna didn't care for her birthday, she could at least enjoy some good cake. 

Thalia packed it up that afternoon and made their way back home after a quick stop at the pizzeria nearby and grabbing two large pizzas. 

When they walked into their apartment, it was awfully quiet though they knew Reyna was home because her keys were still on the counter in the kitchen. 

Thalia set the pizza and cake down on the table before finally ridding themselves of their mask and quickly getting into more comfortable clothes. Reyna was still in her room so they assumed she must have been napping. 

With a small skip in their footsteps, they walked over to Reyna's room and knocked on the door softly. 

Reyna answered almost instantly to their surprise. "Come in." 

Thalia pushed the door open and poked their head in with a huge grin adorning their face. They spotted Aurum and Argentum first, playing with a plushy toy on Reyna's carpet. 

"Hey! I got pizza and and a cake and— oh, hey..." Thalia cut themselves short, eyebrows quirking up as they saw Reyna sitting down on her desk chair by the mirror in her room, holding an eyeliner pen in one hand and keeping her eyelid steady with the other. Reyna was dressed up pretty casually in just a pair of jeans and a simple loose fit white and baby blue striped button-up with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. "You going out?" 

Reyna hummed in confirmation, still concentrated on getting that winged eyeliner perfect. 

Thalia pushed the door open further and walked over to the dogs, sitting down between them and stealing the plushie from between Aurum's paws. He playfully growled at them playfully and Thalia laughed softly, teasing the dogs a little. They started jumping around them, trying to retrieve the toy back. 

"You look nice," Thalia complimented Reyna, stealing another glance at her from the mirror. Reyna had moved to the other eye but she caught Thalia's eyes in the glass and sent them a small, appreciative smile. 

"Thanks," she responded, going back to tracing her eyeliner. Thalia let Argentum grab the toy with his teeth and the both pulled back hard, playing a game of tug of war. "I'm probably gonna be staying out late, so you can have dinner without me." 

Thalia stopped tugging at the dog toy and looked up at Reyna, suddenly feeling a little disappointed. They were looking forward to doing absolutely nothing with Reyna and have some cake. That would have to wait then. "Nico and the gang in town?" 

Reyna took a closer look at her eye in the mirror before closing the eyeliner pen and tossing it in her makeup kit. She turned around, giving Thalia a shake of her head. "No, it's just a friend from school." 

Reyna walked over to her closet and pulled it open, crouching down to the bottom level where her shoes were and she picked out a pair of plain black short stiletto heels. 

Thalia breathed out chuckled. "So, a date?" 

Reyna sat down at the edge of her bed and slipped on the first heel. "Not exactly," she shrugged. "We're just hanging out." 

"You're going over to their place?" 

Reyna nodded, and Thalia snorted again, pushing themselves up to their feet. "You're getting birthday sex, that's awesome!" They pulled a wide, crooked grin and held their fist out in front of them, urging Reyna to bump knuckles with them. Of course, Reyna rolled her eyes and smacked their hand away as Thalia had expected. And still, as they let out a small laugh and pulled their hand back to their side, they couldn't push away that deep, disappointed feeling in the pit of their stomach. 

"She's just a friend," Reyna insisted, getting up to her feet and walking over to her desk where her bag was along with her phone. She checked her phone for a moment before slipped it in her pocket and walking over to her dogs, the clicking of her heels muted by the rug under her. 

"She?" Thalia repeated, quirking an eyebrow. They followed Reyna out into the hall, arms crossed over their chest. 

Reyna went over to the kitchen to grab her keys, and she stopped for a moment, finally taking notice to the food Thalia had brought with them. "Is that cake?" She asked and Thalia nodded, jumping up on the counter with their head against the cupboards. 

"Dulce de leche," Thalia said, noticing Reyna's expression softening into a smile. She opened the box, her eyes widening just a little as she finally saw the frosting with all the colours of the bisexual flag. "Happy birthday!" They exclaimed with a little grin, giving Reyna the jazz hands. 

Reyna laughed, dipping her finger in the frosting and pulling it up to her mouth, licking it clean. As hard as they tried, Thalia couldn't peel their eyes away, staring at the curve of Reyna's lips, the way her tongue poked out from the corner to lick the icing that had smeared over the side. 

They forced themselves to look up and meet Reyna's gaze. There was an odd look in Reyna's dark eyes, one they couldn't quite decipher, but it was gone just as fast as they had noticed it. Well, fuck, did she notice? 

"You didn't have to, Thalia," Reyna told them softly, but she was still smiling widely, clearly enjoying the icing. Thalia knew for a fact that she was going to enjoy the cake even more. If she would sit down with them and eat it. 

"Yes, I did!" Thalia retorted, shooting her a toothy grin. "It's your birthday, I thought we'd celebrate. But since you're celebrating with sex, I guess you could take it with you and have some extra dessert. Though, it probably needs to be refrigerated pretty soon..." 

Reyna glared at Thalia at their comment but they could still see her eyes dancing in amusement. "No, you're right. We'll celebrate together when I'm back." 

Thalia wasn't expecting that, but they smiled at Reyna anyway, even if it still sucked that she was still going to celebrate the major chunk of her birthday with someone else. They hated that it bothered them so much. It really shouldn't have, and they didn't understand why it did, but they just wished that weight in their guy would just dissolve. 

Thalia watched as Reyna carefully placed the cake in the freezer and then grabbed her belongings. She then walked over to Thalia, tilted her chin up just a little, and with the heels, managed to reach their face and press a quick and sweet kiss on their cheek. 

"Thank you, Thal," Reyna said softly and then moved past her dogs and to the front door. And Thalia sat there, absolutely stunned, feeling their cheeks heat up as the blood rushed all the way up to their face. They could feel the sticky lipgloss mark on their skin but they were too shocked to do anything about it. 

They heard the door open and close and they sat there for another few moments, trying to recover from their moment of confusion until finally, they let out a shaky breath and leaned their head back against the overhead cupboard, closing their eyes and rubbing their face with their hands. 

"Fuck!"

Chewing anxiously on the inside of their cheek, they jumped off the counter and started pacing around the kitchen, phone in hand. 

They knew they should probably text Annabeth, so they did just that. They unlocked their phone, opened their texts with "Wise Girl" and typed two words before hitting send: 

_I'm screwed_

Annabeth responded pretty fast. Just a few seconds later she was FaceTiming Thalia and with a heavy sigh, Thalia answered the call. 

"What did you do now?" 

Thalia narrowed their eyes at the screen. "Why are you so quick to assume that I did anything?" 

Annabeth shrugged her shoulders and shot them a sheepish grin. "Can you blame me?" 

They supposed not. 

"What happened?" 

Thalia hesitated for a moment. They were still pacing around the kitchen. They turned around and walked to the living room, flopping down on the couch with their head on one end and their legs dangling from the other Both dogs instantly ran up to them and Argentum jumped up and squeezed his way in the small space between their body and the back of the couch. Aurum remained on the ground by their feet, curling up around himself and burying his face in his paws. 

"I think I have a crush." 

Annabeth was not surprised. Annabeth was not horrified. No, Annabeth found it hilarious. She snorted and her snort turned into chuckles and she was grinning from ear to ear at Thalia through the tiny screen. "And you just figured it out?" 

Thalia groaned, grabbing one of the pillows and hiding their face under it. When they had satisfyingly let out their frustration, they threw the pillow aside and pouted at Annabeth. "Why does it always backfire whenever I try to do something nice?" 

Annabeth frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"It's Reyna's birthday, right?" 

"So, you got her a present?" Annabeth started grinning excitedly. 

"Kinda. It seemed like she didn't wanna make a big deal out of her birthday so I thought I'd make a cake, get some pizza, and you know, just have a lowkey day at home. Except... I'm home. And she's not!"

"She didn't invite you?" 

Thalia snorted, moving their arm behind their head. "Yeah, and thank god for that. She's on a date." 

Annabeth winced, giving Thalia a sympathetic smile and apologetic eyes. "I'm sorry, babe," Annabeth murmured softly. 

Thalia shrugged, hiding their face in their hand, rubbing the bridge of their nose between their pointer finger and thumb. "S'okay. It's not like we could have ever made it work. I've never been in an actual long-term relationship and god knows what she wants, but probably not a one night stand that would definitely ruin whatever the fuck this is." Thalia waved their hand in the air and released a heavy breath. 

Annabeth hummed in response, her eyes turning as round as a doe's. "Yeah... Maybe— I don't know. Maybe just moving on from this would be in your best interest, Thal." 

"Yeah, yeah, I know," they muttered in response. "It's just— man, she's hot, Annie!" 

They both burst out laughing loudly and Annabeth smirked at Thalia teasingly. "Simp." 

"For women? All day, e'ery day, baby!" They used a much deeper voice, trying to fake a heavy New York accent, but they only ended up sounding like Percy when he was really angry or overexcited. 

Annabeth's head fell back in laughter and Thalia grinned sheepishly, combing their fingers through their hair. They really needed a haircut... They hadn't gotten one in months and their hair was much, much longer than it ever really was all throughout their life. 

"What are you going to do now?" 

"Nothing. I guess I'll just eat the pizza, watch some Criminal Minds, finish that one painting, try to get over that one kiss. You know, the usual." 

Annabeth chuckled and Thalia cracked a lopsided grin. 

They talked some more while Thalia ate most of the pizza, leaving just a few slices in the fridge, and Annabeth added Percy to the video call soon after. Thalia responded to that by adding Jason, and of course, Jason was joined by his girlfriend Piper. It was pretty much a party and it made Thalia's night much better, even when everyone teased them about their tiny crush on Reyna, which wasn't even a crush. Thalia was exaggerating when they called it that, really. It was just a strong attraction which was totally normal when they lived in such close proximities to someone that attractive, right? 

By they time they'd all hung up the phone, it was pretty late so Thalia went to work on a commissioned painting they needed to get done and shipped by next week but they only got through the second coat of paint before their hair started getting in the way and they got way too frustrated. 

They set all their paint down and stormed to the bathroom, checking in all the drawers and cabinets for a pair of scissors. They thought they'd have to make do with the crafting scissors they used to cut most things from labels to cardboard until finally, they found a pair of hair-cutting shears in the very back of the cabinet. 

With a triumphant holler, they set the shears aside and turned the faucet on, bending down until the water was running over their hair, leaving it all wet and dripping. They grabbed their hairbrush and combed through all the locks until their hair was smooth and parted down the middle. 

Thalia wouldn't exactly say they were good at cutting their own hair. In fact, they had managed to go all their life without having to do it themselves except for that one time they'd decided to run away when they were twelve and thought they would have to cut their hair and dye to avoid being recognised. Fortunately, they got caught before they could get to the hair bleaching part. They suffered from bad hair day for three whole months, the last thing they needed was bright green hair. Not that there was anything wrong with dyed hair; in fact, they found it very punk. But they really liked their black hair as it was. They thought it really brought out their blue eyes. 

So, as they stood there in front of the mirror, holding a chunk of hair between their middle finger and second finger on their left hand and the scissors in their right, they were quite frankly really nervous. Maybe they should have watched a YouTube tutorial or something. 

With a shaky breath and a silent prayer to whatever celestial being was watching them, they clipped the first bit of their hair. It was a very small chunk really, just the tips, but that alone almost gave them anxiety. 

They kept going, cutting at just the edges of their hair. They arrived at their bangs and that was when their usually incredibly steady hand started to shake a little. Seriously? 

Just as they were about to snip the scissors, they heard keys jingling and the front door open. They poked their head out past the parted door and saw Reyna walking in, smiling at the hounds who followed her excitedly, her heels clicking against the hardwood floor. 

Reyna looked up to see Thalia with the shears in their hand and her mouth fell open and then she closed it back up real tight, but it was clear that she was trying hard not to smile, or possibly cringe. "What are you doing...?" 

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Thalia snapped in response and stepped back in front of the mirror, holding the scissors up to their bangs. 

"Giving yourself a horrible haircut," Reyna replied with a mocking grin, standing by the door with her shoulder against the doorframe. 

Thalia glared at her, dropping the scissors in the sink. "Gee, thanks!" Thalia answered sarcastically. "Did I ask?" 

Reyna rolled her eyes and walked further into the bathroom, pushing Thalia aside and standing in front of the sink. She pulled the shears out and set them aside before washing her hands. Then, she grabbed the shears again and motioned for Thalia to come closer. "Come here," she said and Thalia watched her warily. 

"What?" 

"I've been cutting my own hair since I was ten, I know what I'm doing," Reyna explained and though that statement was kind of worrying to hear, Thalia shuffled over to her side, trusting Reyna reluctantly with their hair. But seriously, who willingly gave a ten year old a pair of scissors? "Okay, actually maybe it's better if you sit down," Reyna chuckled and walked over to the toilet to shut the lid. 

"Sure, shorty," Thalia teased her but Reyna only glared at them, totally unimpressed. Thalia sat down sideways, allowing Reyna to stand behind them and then next they knew, they were hearing the snipping of the scissors and feeling their hair falling down their shoulders. 

"How short do you want it exactly?" Reyna asked, running her fingers through Thalia's hair and grazing their scalp along the way. Thalia felt a shiver run down their spine at the sensation and they involuntarily closed their eyes. 

They did really love having their hair played with and now that Reyna was doing it... Well, it was hard to pull themselves back to reality. 

"If you're not gonna answer, I'm just gonna do whatever I like with it," Reyna teased them, pulling their hair at the back into a short pony tail. "Might give you a mullet." 

Thalia whipped their head around, pointing a threatening finger right in Reyna's face. "Don't you fucking dare!" 

Reyna grinned, her eyes glistening with mischief and she snipped at the air with the scissors. It kind of frightened Thalia now that she had put the thought of giving them a mullet in their head. 

"Then answer the question." 

Thalia huffed and turned back around to face the other way, their eyes staring right at the shower wall. "Pretty short, but not too short."

"Oh! Right! I totally understand what you mean!" Reyna spoke sarcastically which only infuriated Thalia even more. 

"Just— cut it as short as you want!" Thalia exclaimed, hunching forward with their elbows against their knees. 

They could tell Reyna was rolling her eyes even when they had their back to her. "Okay, okay. Are we talking Demi Moore in _Indecent Proposal_? Or like, in _Ghost_?" 

Thalia frowned as they tried to remember what each haircut looked like. 

"Huh... a little longer than _Ghost_ but shorter than _Indecent Proposal_?" They finally answer, glancing over their shoulder to look at Reyna who nodded in understanding. 

"Okay, see, it wasn't so hard to give me an actual answer, now, was it?" 

Thalia went to snap at her in return when Reyna yanked at their hair until they were sitting up straight, eyes wide in surprise, and she started cutting their hair. 

They were quiet for a few moments, giving Reyna more space to concentrate so they could avoid a whole "Phoebe giving Monica a horrible haircut" fiasco. But then, their mind started wandering to Reyna's fingers gently brushing through their hair and over their head, and to shake that thought out of their head because they promised they would just move on, they pulled their phone out and held it in front of them, deciding to scroll through their social media feed as a distraction. 

They noticed though that it was barely 11:30, which was kind of late, but considering that Reyna was supposedly on a date, on her birthday, and she was already home... That was suspicious. 

"How come you're home early?" Thalia asked, dropping their phone in their lap. 

Reyna took a few seconds to answer, cutting a small strand of hair in the process. "Promised we'd eat that cake, didn't I? And by the way, for an artist who can create masterpieces and decorate fricken cakes like they're canvases, you _really_ suck at cutting hair! It's so uneven!" 

Thalia, honestly, was a little offended. Reyna didn't have to bash them so hard! But they decided to ignore the insult completely and go back to their original point. 

"Nice try, but you can't change the subject. What happened?" 

Reyna huffed out a sigh, working on the strand behind Thalia's right ear. "Nothing happened. We just... had dinner. Talked a little. Watched a movie... and that's pretty much it." 

That wasn't pretty much it. Thalia could practically hear the rest of the story. Though, they weren't sure what it was yet. 

"But it's your birthday! You should've gotten laid, Rey!" 

"Do I have to remind you that I'm holding a pair of scissors?" 

Thalia didn't answer that. They weren't looking forward to being the victim of either a horrible stabbing or a bad a haircut. 

"But you're still home pretty early. No one comes back from a good date before midnight," Thalia pointed out. If Reyna didn't want to tell them what happened, of course, they wouldn't mind it. But they wanted to know she was okay, at least. That she wasn't home this early because something _bad_ had happened on the date. 

Reyna didn't answer immediately. She worked on a few more strands at the back of Thalia's head before finally moving to the front. She grabbed a comb from the bathroom counter and brushed it through Thalia's bangs until they were completely covering their eyes. They closed them to avoid getting any hair in them. 

"And you know all about good dates?" Reyna asked, her voice a little quieter than before as she was too focused on the bangs. 

Thalia shrugged without moving their head too much. "A little. At least, I've been told that I have great ideas when it comes to dates." Their eyes were still closed but they still gave Reyna their signature, Thalia Grace grin. They didn't want to see Reyna's bored reaction anyway. 

"Oh yeah? What was the best review you got?" 

Thalia didn't think too long before giving her an answer. "' _Best fuck ever_.'" 

Reyna playfully smacked their shoulder as they started laughing, causing them to start shaking and messing up Reyna's steady hand. "I don't doubt that one single bit. Now, can you stop poking so I don't poke your eye out?" 

Thalia calmed themselves down but they kept the grin on their face, staring at Reyna through half-lidded eyes. "Why do I feel like you want to poke my eye out?" 

Reyna's lip curved up in a smirk and successfully cut another chunk of hair. "Because you know you're starting to get on my nerves." 

Okay, fair. 

Thalia let her work in silence until finally she stepped back to take a better look at the final product. She placed her hands on Thalia's jaw, tilting their head up a little, and then she ran her fingers through the mess of wet hair, tousling it a little and then letting it flop over Thalia's forehead naturally. 

"I think we're all set!" 

Thalia let themselves open their eyes completely. The brushed the strands of hair covering their eyes away and then stood up and walked over to the mirror to take a look and wow, Reyna was good. 

Their hair was exactly the length they were going for. Reyna had definitely given their bangs complete justice. They fell on the sides of their face, framing their cheekbones perfectly. The rest of their hair fell right below their ears, giving their squared jaw the emphasis it needed to look more prominent. It was an amazing job. 

"Wow..." Thalia turned to look at Reyna with a genuine smile on their face. "Rey... thank you. I really, really love it." 

Reyna smiled back, placing the scissors back in their place in the drawer. "You're welcome. Can I trust you to clean your hair off the floor?" 

Reyna excused herself to go change her clothes and Thalia decided to hop in the shower after throwing the cut hair in the bin. They washed up quickly and dressed in a comfortable pair of cotton shorts and an old grey and black baseball t-shirt. 

They took another glance at themselves in the mirror before leaving their room, smiling at their new haircut and ruffling their hair over and over again. They were kind of obsessed but in their defence, it did look really, really good. 

Making a beeline for the kitchen, they grabbed two plates, forks and knives, and poured two glasses of the lactose free chocolate milk from the fridge. They put them all on a tray along with the cake and walked over to Reyna's room, careful to spill anything. 

With a small knock on the door, they waited for a second until Reyna came and opened it, now dressed comfortably in her plaid pyjama bottoms and a white v-neck. 

"There's still like ten minutes of hour birthday, so we're eating cake!" Thalia explained, pushing past Reyna and walking over to her bed. They placed the tray on the nightstand and flopped down on the bed, arms behind their head, legs folded in front of them. 

Reyna smiled and walked toward them, pushing their legs aside so that she could sit on the edge of the bed. Thalia removed held out the cakebox and placed it in Reyna's lap before handed her the knife and saying, "alright! Make a wish!" 

Reyna rolled her eyes at the silly tradition but still did it anyway. She held the knife upside, made a silent wish, and cut the first piece of cake. Thalia handed her the plates and then placed the cake back on the tray. They took the first few bites in silence, Thalia stealing glances at Reyna with every forkful. 

"That's some really good ice cream cake!" Reyna exclaimed through a mouthful of Dulce de leche and Thalia laughed, shoving another piece in their mouth. 

"The power of the bisexual flag, I say!" 

Reyna gave her a very cake-stained beam that was just too adorable for Thalia to handle, so they turned their attention to their plate, stabbing their fork through their piece and cutting a smaller piece to eat. 

"I do have a perfect date, by the way," Thalia said while holding up their fork to their mouth and licking the icing off the piece of cake before chewing on the ice cream and cake mix. 

Reyna turned to look at them, raising an eyebrow, silently asking them to elaborate. 

"First of all, you wanna get to know the person better. It's the first date. There has to be talking. Picnics are always cute. Food and nature. It's perfect! And then, depending on how well you click, you suggest something more exciting. Like... Escape the Room or Laser Tag. On the first date, or for a second date, doesn't matter. If they're not up for it though, then you're obviously just wasting your time." When they were done talking, they stuffed their face with the last piece of cake and placed the plate back on the tray. 

Reyna was watching them carefully, her lips curving up with the hint of a smile. "That... actually does sound nice," she admitted and Thalia grinned, nodding enthusiastically. "So, how many people have been lucky enough to experience it all?" 

Thalia leaned back against the pillows, shrugging softly. "No one yet." Of course, they omitted the part where they had constructed that whole date while daydreaming about kissing her again. She didn't need to know all that. 

Reyna chuckled like she wasn't surprised at all. "Right... then how do you know it's the perfect date?" 

"It's better than dinner and a movie, or jumping straight to sex," Thalia said as they reached over to grab their glass of chocolate milk and took a small sip. 

Reyna didn't answer and Thalia knew she silently agreed with them. Sitting up straighter in bed, Thalia observed Reyna carefully while she finished her piece of cake. 

"Are you sure you're okay?" Thalia asked her again and Reyna sent her an appreciative smile, nodding her head. 

"Yeah, I promise. Don't worry about it," she reassured them. Thalia thought she would stop there and they were just going to drop the subject when Reyna offered some more explanation. "It was a good date. But we just... wouldn't have worked out." 

Thalia spoke over their glass of chocolate milk. "Why not?" They tilted the glass back and took a sip and that for some reason made Reyna snort and try and bite back a smile. She leaned over Thalia, grabbing the tissue box from her bedside table to pull out a Kleenex. She then practically shoved it in Thalia's face and Thalia glared at her, grabbing the tissue from her hands and dabbing it over her mouth to wipe the milkstache. 

"Because... I don't know. I guess, I don't think she would have been up for laser tag or something like that." 

Thalia laughed, balling up the dirty tissue paper and tossing it at Reyna's face, only it landed in the fortunately empty plate still in her hands. Shooting Thalia an irritated glare, she got up to her feet and placed the dirty plate over Thalia's then went back to sit by their feet. Thalia, of course, moved their feet to give Reyna more space, because they're totally very nice and considerate. But they're also a little fucking shit so when Reyna got comfortable enough, they moved their legs back so they were resting over Reyna's lap. 

Reyna shoved their legs off her lap but Thalia only put them back and she figured it would be best not to fight them. Thalia was nothing short of insistent. Instead, Reyna lay back against the mattress, her finger laced over her middle. Thalia's eyes moved to her hands — only because they were directly in their field of vision, of course — and watched as she twirled the small band around her ring finger that she always wore.

"But still. It's your birthday. You should have at least gotten a good fuck," Thalia said. Reyna looked at them in disbelief and a slight shake of the head, but Thalia was happy with their comment, grinning from ear to ear. 

"I can get a _good fuck_ if I want to," Reyna deadpanned, turning to lay on her side and face Thalia, holding her weight up on her arm right arm. 

"I don't doubt it," Thalia replied with a small chuckle and a smirk. "And yet you didn't." 

Reyna rolled her eyes, poking Thalia in the side. "Get out of my ass, Grace." 

Thalia cackled, their eyes glinting brightly with utmost delight. "Trust me, you would _know_ if I were in your ass." 

They heard a choking noise come from Reyna and when they looked at her, she was clearing her throat and running a hand over her braid. Her yes avoided Thalia all together and well, maybe they shouldn't have made that joke... but it was too late now. 

Reyna pushed Thalia's feet off her lap and got up to grab the tray from the bedside table. 

"Hey, it's cool. I got that!" Thalia said, going for the handle, only to grab Reyna's fingers instead. Reyna slowly dropped her hand back to her side and Thalia carried the tray all the way to the kitchen. 

They heard Reyna walk to the bathroom and close the bathroom door. Thalia walked over the sink, putting the dirty dishes in and letting them "soak." Then, they moved to the counter and smacked their forehead against the cold surface. That was the worst joke they could have ever possibly come up with and now they had made things ten times more awkward. 

They waited until they heard Reyna close her bedroom door and then went to the bathroom to brush their teeth and throw some really cold water on their face. With a heavy sigh, they pulled the bathroom door open and stepped out into the hall, only to almost walk straight into Reyna... again. How did that always keep happening to them? 

"Sorry..." Thalia muttered, stepping around Reyna and letting her pass by to get to her room. 

"Just getting water..." Reyna explained, holding up the bottle of water and giving Thalia a tight smile. 

Oooookaaaaay...

Thalia watched her turn back to her room and with a grimace at how painfully awkward that was, they turned back around themselves and walked over to their room. 

But as they were opening the door, they heard Reyna exhale loudly in frustration. 

"Oh, fuck it," she breathed out, grabbing their hand and spinning them around. And the next thing Thalia knew, they were being pushed against their bedroom door and Reyna's lips were on theirs. 

Thalia felt frozen in place for the first few moments and their mind seemed to just stop working. Their hands were flat against the door behind them and they felt hyper alert of everything that was going on, except that everything that was going on was Reyna. Reyna, with her hands on Thalia's cheeks, and her mouth against theirs. And with their heart hammering hard in their ribcage, Thalia felt their hands move on their own accord, grabbing Reyna by the waist and pulling her flush against them. Their eyes closed as their lips started moving in sink with Reyna's. 

They both parted their lips and Thalia brushed their tongue against Reyna's and gods, it was so exquisite. She tasted of mint and chapstick and it was just so Reyna, Thalia felt like they would never get enough of her taste. 

Reyna's lips were everywhere, on their mouth, on their cheeks, down their sharp jaw, their neck. And even when Thalia's lips were free, they couldn't breathe. Reyna moved back to Thalia's lips, capturing them in a searing kiss and right when Thalia felt like they were going to burst, Reyna pulled away. She leaned her forehead against Thalia's, eyes closed, breath fanning against Thalia's face. 

"She didn't kiss like that," Reyna breathed out. And with a stroke of her thumb over Thalia's cheek, she stepped back, nodded once, and disappeared in her room. 

It was only after they heard the door shut that Thalia realised they weren't breathing. Taking in a sharp breath, they fumbled for the door handle and pushed the door open with force. Once they were in the comfort of their own room, they started pacing around the small quarters, walking from their desk to their closet and back. 

They picked at their nails, cracked every single one of their fingers, snapped their fingers to their fingers as fast as they could, then started humming some Green Day under their breath but it wasn't enough. They couldn't shake out the rising feeling in their chest of wanting to scream. 

What the hell was that? 

What the hell did that mean? 

Why the fuck did Reyna just ruin their plan of wanting to move on that wasn't even two hours old? 

And most importantly, what in fuckery's name did Reyna mean when she said _she didn't kiss like that?_

She was talking about her date, right? Did she mean she didn't kiss like Thalia? Or the way Reyna put so much intensity in her kiss that was just so fucking blissful... god. 

This was unfair. Thalia stormed back out into the hall and stood right in front of Reyna's door. They needed answers. Their hand curled into a fist and they went to knock but just as their knuckles were about to hit the wood, they pulled back. They couldn't talk to Reyna. They would have to do what they did best. Bury everything deep inside. 

Rubbing their temples hard, they went back to their room, kicked the door shut, and jumped out onto the fire escape through the open window. They climbed up to the roof but instead of sitting down, they paced around the length of it. They needed a distraction. 

So, they yelled out into the quiet night. "FUCK." They heard their voice echo a little, and it was satisfying enough but their chest was still thumping. They cried out every single swear word they could think of (and they were a lot) and when they felt like they were done, they slumped in one of the plastic chairs and pulled the cigarette box from their pocket. 

They lit one with shaky hands and placed between their lips, breathing in the smoke and as soon as it filled their lungs, they could feel their shoulders relax a little and they closed their eyes, taking in deep breaths and listening to the sound of a lone pigeon cooing somewhere nearby.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning: smut!!!

Was Thalia avoiding Reyna?

Their answer differed, depending mostly on who was asking. Annabeth and Percy definitely asked them multiple times. They denied it each and every single time. Reyna asked them once in a text message jokingly after Thalia had ignored her text asking them if they wanted anything in particular for dinner. Thalia had answered with:

 _haha sure i am! lmao_ 😂

It physically hurt them to type in that laughing face emoji but they had to make sure Reyna didn't catch on to their very awkward and nervous response that was obviously screaming YES, THIS IS NOT ME BEING SARCASTIC. I AM AVOIDING YOU.

They only really admitted to Jason when he called them for their weekly life-update video session. Thalia was letting Jason do all the talking for once, asking him about his summer job interning at their dad's firm which they both knew Thalia didn't really care for all that much. They even asked him about his girlfriend, Piper, and that other weird kid they always hung out with, Leo.

It was only when Thalia had mentioned Jason's best friend who usually irritated them beyond belief that he caught on to their plan, trying to get him talking and distracted to avoid asking them any questions about their current life.

"You hate Leo. Why are you asking me about Leo?"

 _"For the record, I heard that!"_ They heard the kid's voice from somewhere in the background, making them roll their eyes. Gods, his voice alone really irritate them.

"Shut up, Valdez," both Thalia and Jason exclaimed at the same time. Then, Jason turned his attention back to his sibling and he raised a questioning eyebrow.

"So, what's new in your life?"

Thalia shrugged, moving from their desk chair to their bed. They lay down on their front, hugging a pillow close with their chin propped up on it and their phone held out in front of them so they could still see their brother.

"Nothing really. Just been working. I've had to print double the usual amount of postcards for next week though, which is great because like extra sales means extra cash!"

Jason threw his head back as he cracked up, shaking his head a little. "Or you know, because it means people like your art and you appreciate all their kindness and their support?"

Thalia scrunched up their nose, shaking their head profusely. "Nah, I'm only doin' it for the dough, bro!" They joked, using an exaggerated Brooklyn accent.

Jason rolled his eyes but he was still grinning widely at them. "Don't do that. Ever again."

Thalia sighed, flipping onto their back and feigning a hurt look.

"So, how's Reyna doing?"

Thalia hoped he didn't notice their eyes darting to their bedroom door in panic, even though they knew for a fact that Reyna wasn't home. "Uh, I don't know. She's good, I guess," they replied dryly, adding a little cough to clear their throat. "Hey, so, I was thinking of getting a piercing. Do you think I could pull off a lip piercing?"

Jason's eyes widened in horror. "No, gosh, no. Don't do that. No way."

They pouted in response. "Fine. What about a septum?" They crossed their eyes, trying to look at their nose, even though they knew it wasn't possible, but then they moved their phone closer, trying to see it on their screen.

"Ew, you're snotty!" Jason faked a gag, bending over while making a barfing noise.

"Man, you're dramatic!"

Jason grinned at them innocently, batting his lashes. "Learned form the best!"

Thalia took it as a compliment, smirking cockily in response. "Yes, yes you did. But you didn't answer my question."

" _I think you'd look hot with a septum ring!"_ They heard Piper's voice calling from the back and Thalia grinned at the screen in approval.

"I mean, I guess she's right. It's better than a lip piercing," Jason added with a small, nonchalant shrug.

"Jee, thanks Jase!"

He sighed and leaned back in his swivel chair. "Don't think I didn't notice you changing the subject. So, what's the deal with Reyna?"

They really hated how perceptive he really was sometimes. Out of all four siblings, he really was the smartest but they doubted the twins would ever admit it, and they certainly never would, unless it was like a life or death situation and like one of them would die if they didn't admit he was smarter. But only then.

"Nothing really," Thalia lied easily, and they couldn't help but glance at the door once again.

"So why do you keep looking at the door?"

Seriously, what the fuck?

"I'm not!" They lied again, but the defensiveness was clear in their tone and Jason wasn't buying it.

They watched as he grabbed his earphones and plugged them into his phone and then walked out the basement where he was sitting and out into the backyard. "Okay, so what really happened?"

They could tell Jason. They trusted him more than anyone else in the world. But they didn't want to talk about their... problem. Mostly because they didn't want to acknowledge it because that would only make it real. And they were totally okay with ignoring it for the time being. At least, until Reyna could offer a fucking explanation.

"Literally nothing happened. I just haven't seen Reyna in a while, I guess."

Jason scoffed, looking at her ridiculously. "You literally live together, Thalia."

"Okay, fuck! I've been avoiding her."

Jason's brow creased as he frowned, his glasses drooping down his nose and he using his pointed finger to push them back up in place. "Why?"

"Because... I don't know. She's fucking... everywhere, gosh!"

Jason's lifted his eyebrows and let out a small laugh. "Because... you live together, unless I'm missing something here?"

Thalia groaned, hiding their eyes in their arm. "It's just... I have no idea what she wants from me."

"What do you mean?"

Thalia was struggling to find their words. How would they explain to their sixteen year old brother that they were having a gay panic over a silly crush?

"One second, she's kissing me very drunk, then she's acting like it never happened. Then, she's kissing me again, totally sober, and she's being so confusing and has given me no explanation and I've no fucking idea what she fricken wants from me!"

Jason's face slowly started suspiciously splitting into a grin and Thalia narrowed their eyes at their brother. "What?"

"Nothing..." Jason replied in a sing-song voice, his grin only growing if it were even possible. "It's just— you're really into her, aren't you?"

Thalia rolled their eyes, waving their hand dismissively in front of them. "No, she's just really attractive."

"Uhu... you've never talked about a girl so much or let a girl get to your head like that since your crush on z—,"

"Don't say her name!" Thalia cut him off sharply and Jason laughed, holding a hand out in defence. "And that was different. Every teenager has had a crush on their older sibling's best friend."

"I didn't," Jason said. "But you were head over heels for Artemis' entire group of friends actually so—,"

"Yeah, and now I'm gay! Besides, Apollo wasn't any better."

Jason let out a laugh as he probably remembered that one time their older brother had made a move on Artemis' best friend and she had threatened to hurt him where the sun didn't shine. She got really close too, except their dad had put an end to it pretty fast. But in Apollo's defence, Zoë really was beautiful and well... yeah, Thalia did spend many nights in middle school and the beginning of high school fantasising about her. But that was a silly childhood crush. It was nothing like their attraction to Reyna. Which was purely physical. And only because she had kissed them. Honestly, if Reyna had never kissed them, they wouldn't even be in this situation. They didn't want her. They just wanted to kiss her again. It wasn't a crush.

"Yeah, but he's always thinking with his dick," Jason laughed and Thalia grinned, letting out a chuckle of their own. "So, why are you avoiding Reyna, then?"

Thalia's grin faltered a little and they ran their fingers through their newly cut hair. Except, every time they did that now, their mind played the memory of cutting their hair, and they could feel her fingers massaging their scalp and— they dropped their hand to their chest. "We're roommates, Jase. We can't just... fool around like that. It just makes things more difficult. I mean, things are already awkward as fuck!"

Jason hummed understandingly, but then he raised an eyebrow which looked a little accusatory to Thalia and they didn't like where this was going. "But aren't you making it awkward by avoiding her?"

"No," they snapped instantly. "She made it awkward by kissing me. What the hell am I supposed to do with that kiss? I can't just ignore it, and she doesn't want to talk about it so I'm just gonna avoid her altogether to avoid the awkwardness."

"BUT you can't know that she doesn't want to talk about it if you keep ignoring her, Thal!" Jason exclaimed with an exasperated, breathy laugh. He ran his fingers through his blond hair, brushing it up into a tiny sticky-uppy quiff. "You're only making this harder on yourself."

"Shit, can you stop being the voice of reason for one second and let me simmer in my own boiling misery, please?"

"Wow, that was some really beautiful imagery. Can I steal that for my English class? We're doing poetry."

Thalia let out a laugh and just shook their head at their grinning brother. "Yeah, sure, dude. But what have you got to be miserable about?"

"Oh, nothing. I'll just use you as my inspiration!"

"I'm gonna punch you through this tiny screen," Thalia grumbled, throwing him the bird and Jason cackled even harder, throwing his head all the way back. Thalia couldn't help but smile at him looking so happy. "I miss you, Golden Boy."

"Miss you too, Pinecone Face," Jason smirked, using their nickname that Percy had coined when they were thirteen but it had stuck. And they absolutely hated it.

Thalia glared at Jason playfully as he laughed wholeheartedly. The doorbell rang then and Thalia groaned as they rolled out of bed. They really hoped Reyna hadn't forgotten her keys and they had to open the door for her and actually talk to her.

"Alrighty, I'll text you later, kid."

"Byeeee," Jason laughed and hung up the call.

Thalia slipped their phone into the pocket of their athletic shorts and made their way through the dog-shaped obstacles to the door.

They checked through the peephole, sighing with relief when they saw Percy's messy black hair. Though the mischievous glint in his eyes and that smirk he was sporting didn't comfort Thalia much, they still opened the door.

"Sup, Grace? Annabeth's on her way with the rest." He pushed past her, giving each of the dogs a pet on the head as he headed to the couch and slumped over comfortably.

"Hey— hey, first of all shoes off." Percy rolled his eyes but he still kicked off his shoes and handed them to Thalia. They wrinkled their nose but still took them and tossed them at the door. "And second of all, what the fuck do you mean by 'the rest'?" They made air-quotes around the last two words and then folded their arms across their chest, waiting for Percy to provide an explanation. They weren't even aware that he was coming over, let alone an entire group of people.

"Well, Annabeth, obviously. And Rachel and Beckendorf and Silena. Grover, of course. Phoebe and Celyn I think. Clarisse, if she's not feeling aggressive today."

Thalia's eyes slowly started widening. "What the fuck, Jackson? You realise we're all in the middle of a pandemic, right?"

"Duh, which is why we need to get absolutely wasted and play a game of Floor Is Lava. Beside, you know how they've all been stuck at home, too. No one's got the virus, don't worry."

Thalia wasn't exactly worried. They knew their friends, and they were pretty positive that they've all been pretty much following all the necessary precautions. They were more worried about the fact that Reyna was going to be home soon and if she saw a bunch of people over, she was going to shoot Thalia first, and then ask questions later.

Thalia couldn't dwell on the problem much longer though because before they could even do anything about it, the doorbell rang again and Annabeth stormed it, followed by Grover, Charles Beckendorf, Rachel Elizabeth Dare, and Phoebe.

"No Silena?" They asked Charles as he walked past them with two six-packs.

"Nah," he shook his head. "Clarisse is having one of those days."

Thalia winced and gratefully accepted one of the six-packs. "Yeah, I don't wanna know who she's planning on murdering today."

"Chris," Charlie answered anyway, and Thalia chuckled and led the way to the living room after forcing everyone to take their shoes off.

After a quick session of small talk, they decided to just start the game. Thalia lured the dogs into Reyna's room with two giant dog bones and closed the door on them. They were gonna need all the space they could get and Aurum and Argentum tended to use up a lot more space than necessary.

They helped each other push the furniture around the room until everything was strategically placed with all the booze in the middle of the room.

The thing about their version of the floor is lava is that there were basically no rules. Half the time, they had no idea what they were doing. But they always, always ended up incredibly drunk. And they always, without a doubt, ended up in hysterical fits of laughter, and half naked. Except for that one time Percy ended up almost completely naked and they had to stop the game because no one wanted to see his ass.

"Are we doing teams?" Grover asked, looking around the room and they all shrugged, nodding in agreement.

"Sure. Countdown?" Annabeth said and they all muttered yeses in response.

"Three, two, one— TEAM."

They all held up a number of finger up against their foreheads, and Thalia burst out laughing as they noticed Percy accidentally poke his eye out with his pinky. "Idiot." He glared at them and gave them the middle finger with his free hand.

Thalia, of course, held up a V sign with their middle and second finger on their forehead. They looked around to see who had a similar count and of course, it was Phoebe and Rachel.

"Nice," Phoebe grinned and sent Thalia a subtle wink.

They all formed their teams quick, and soon after, they were all standing on furniture. The floor was lava, after all.

They did the countdown again to see who would get to start off with the shotgun tip-off and Annabeth won. With a triumphant smirk, she grabbed her beer can.

"FUCK SPIDERS!" She cried out and practically emptied her beer within a second.

"Fuck spiders? Are you kidding, Chase?" Rachel rolled her eyes and Annabeth tossed the empty can of beer at her.

"Just start the game, gosh!" Percy huffed, grabbing Annabeth by the elbow before she could respond to Rachel's comment.

And they were off, running around the apartment, jumping from piece of furniture to another, emptying cans of beer. At some point, Grover ended up over the bookcase. Sometime later, Thalia ended up giving Beckendorf a piggy back ride around the Kingdom of Used Condoms (Percy's idea of a funny name) and they weren't one to complain, but he was a very muscly guy, and much taller than they were, and they both ended up collapsing and falling in the lava. They had to chug the rest of their beer.

"STOP!" Phoebe called out, holding her hands out in front of her to steady her balance as she jumped over the coffee table. Everyone stopped in their tracks, staring at her expectantly. She tossed her empty can of beer into their growing pile and smirked. "Factoid time."

Annabeth raised her fist up in triumph while Percy groaned, burying his face in his hands.

"What are the teams now?"

"Uh... Charlie and me," Thalia answered, "And Kelp Face," they pointed at Percy.

"I'm with Rach and Annabeth." Grover explained from his spot over the laundry basket. Thalia was still not sure how it hadn't collapsed under his weight yet.

"Okay! Red team, blue team." Phoebe pointed respectively at Thalia, Percy, and Beckendorf, and then Annabeth, Grover, and Rachel. "Who's got the fullest can?"

Percy raised his hand from their team. Annabeth from the other. Thalia knew they were screwed immediately.

"What're we playing for?" Percy asked, a look of worry clouding his face.

"Whatever's covering your torso." Phoebe replied with a smirk. Percy groaned, realising he had already lost his flannel. He was going to end up shirtless for sure. "Annabeth," Phoebe held her hand out and Annabeth grinned, her eyes sparkling with mischief. She knew she was going to beat Percy's ass.

"One in five people don't believe in the moon. They're called Moon-truthers. They believe the moon is actually a holographic projection."

That was the biggest load of bullshit Thalia had ever heard. Percy's eyes widened and he was starting to look scared like he was going to lose, which he probably was.

The rules of 'factoids' were simple. You had to give the group a fact that may be true or completely false and the catch was that it didn't matter who said what. Only the person who started the Factoid segment could choose the winner on whatever basis they chose.

Phoebe had an aversion to boys. As in, not only was she solely attracted to women, but she also despised men with a passion and Percy was already aware of that fact. They all knew he had already lost when he held out his hand a moment earlier.

But that also meant their entire team lost. But Thalia didn't mind sitting in just their sports bra.

"We'll just take our shirts off, now," he grabbed the hem of his shirt but Phoebe stopped him.

"No, you gotta play the game, Jackson."

With a groaned, he tousled his hair even more trying to think of a fact. "Uh... Jesus is real. I don't know."

Phoebe looked at him with a straight face. "Okay, yeah, you lose," she finally decided and with an angry huff, Percy yanked his shirt off and aimed for the corner of the room, near the front door, except no one had noticed the door open and he threw it right at Reyna's head.

"Oh, shit—," Percy started, and Thalia winced, feeling the wrath of all the gods anyone ever believed in boiling in Reyna.

With a grimace, Reyna dropped Percy's t-shirt at her feet and closed the door behind her. "What's... going on?" She asked, looking around at the group of unruly teens awkwardly standing there.

"Hey, Reyna," Annabeth grinned sheepishly, waving at her. She jumped down from her spot on the couch, and Thalia pointed at her quickly. Since they were the first to point it out, they could choose her demise.

"YOU'RE STANDING IN LAVA. TUTU. GET IN THE TUTU."

Annabeth turned to look at them with her eyes wide and mouth hanging open in disbelief, feeling the utter betrayal. "No... I am not wearing that hideous thing."

"TUTU. TUTU. TUTU!"

They all started chanting it and Rachel even went to grab it and curtsied while offering it. With a deadly glare in Thalia's direction, Annabeth slipped it on.

See, the ballet tutu was like the cone of shame of the game. They had found the hideous skirt at a thrift shop a few years ago and it just fit right into their game. It was funnier when they made Percy wear it, but they settled for Annabeth.

"Thalia..."

"Yeah?" Thalia whipped their head back only to realise it was Reyna who had called them and their smile fell.

"What are you doing?" She asked in a very tight and clipped voice and Thalia ran rubbed their neck awkwardly. How do you explain this game.

"Playing Floor Is Lava..." they explained but they knew it didn't actually explain anything.

"What..." She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "You should've told me you were inviting people over."

Thalia suddenly felt a little bit of anger bubble up in their chest. They didn't know why, but they were feeling defensive, so they crossed their arms over their chest and shrugged nonchalantly.

"That was my fault!" Percy intervened and he jumped from the couch over and straight into the safe zone in the hall, standing next to Reyna. "I didn't tell them we were coming. But hey, you wanna play? We're all already trashed but there's still lots of booze."

Reyna regarded half-naked Percy and Thalia noticed her eyes lingering for just a second a too long on his rather toned abdomen, but then Reyna turned to look at the rest of the group. Annabeth in the tutu of shame, Rachel with her messy fiery red curls in two pigtails and a very vulgar image drawn on her forehead, curtesy of Annabeth. The rest of the group hadn't lost much of their dignity yet, but there was still time.

"What game even is that?" Reyna asked, sounding a little horrified. and honestly, that was the only reasonable reaction to their game.

"Floor is Lava. It's like... 10% candy land, 50% floor is lava, 40% booze."

"More like, 100% booze, actually," Beckendorf corrected him and Percy just nodded along with a huge grin.

"Actually, there really aren't any concrete rules. We're just making it up as we go along," Phoebe offered and quite frankly, Thalia did not like the look on her face one bit as she was regarding Reyna. "Which reminds me, Thals, Charlie, you guys also lost. Shirts!"

With a sigh, Charlie Beckendorf got rid of his shirt. Thalia glanced back at Reyna, noticing that she was watching her curiously. Thalia turned back around, feeling their cheeks heating up. They quickly pulled their t-shirt up over their head and threw it aside.

They never really minded lounging around in their sports' bra. Thalia was always quite comfortable with their body and undressing in front of their friends was never an issue, especially when they were all intoxicated and playing The Floor Is Lava. But for some reason, knowing that Reyna was watching them take off their shirt made them a little too aware of the fact that they weren't wearing a shirt, even though Reyna had already seen them in just a bra before.

"Okay!" Thalia exclaimed, clapping their hands hard. "Chicken run?"

"Oh, no..." Rachel muttered and Thalia grinned mischievously.

"What's chicken run?" Reyna asked and Charlie chuckled, turning to glance at her with an amused look in his eyes.

"You'll see," he answered simply in his gruff voice. Reyna had an uneasy look on her face which was pretty accurate considering she didn't know what was coming next.

"You're it, Underwood," Thalia pointed her can of beer at him.

" _Why_ is it always me?" Grover whined but Thalia didn't give him much time to complain. They all started running around the course of furniture they had built, throwing random objects at him to try and trip him, while Grover tried to outrun them. Finally, Percy made a grab at his ankle and sacrificed himself to get Grover to fall. Grover had gotten quite good at outrunning them.

"Shotguns," Annabeth announced and the two boys grabbed two new cans of beer, tipping off with a shotgun.

"Okay, I'm in."

Thalia turned around with a surprised look on their face as they heard Reyna agree to join the game.

"You sure?"

Reyna shrugged. "Why not? I wouldn't mind getting drunk."

"Nice," Percy grinned and tossed a can of beer in her direction. Reyna caught it with ease. And then, to everyone's surprise, she held it sideways and taking a shotgun better than Thalia had seen anyone ever do and fuck, it was hot.

"That's how you play, right?" Reyna asked when she was done, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

"Perfect. You've already got the hang of the game," Percy laughed, patting her on the shoulder. "New teams?"

"Alright. Just choose any number and hold it to your forehead," Annabeth explained to Reyna quickly and started the countdown. On three, they all held up their fingers against their foreheads. Thalia noticed Reyna hesitate a little but with a quick look around the room, she figured it out pretty fast. "Teams of two!" Annabeth called out as soon as everyone held up their numbers.

That meant they had to team up with the person who's number was one digit smaller than theirs. Thalia had a two, as usual. Everyone else held threes, fours, and fives. And Reyna had only one finger up. Great...

"Okay... Rach, you're with Phoebes," Annabeth started, taking a look around the room. "Grove you're with Percy."

"Awesome," Percy grinned, giving Grover a high-five.

"Reyna, you're with Thalia. And that leaves me with Charlie."

They all shuffled around until they were with their partners. Thalia stayed an arm's length away from Reyna, avoiding her gaze, though they could still feel her staring right at them.

Thankfully, Beckendorf started the game up again and soon enough they were all too wasted to care about anything.

Somehow, Thalia ended up in the tutu AND the plastic tiara and though they were pretty shameful, they had to admit. The tiara looked awesome on their head, and it lessened the embarrassment from the bright pink skirt.

"PAUSE!" Thalia yelled when they had finally gotten to the coffee table. Everyone stopped in their tracks and Reyna almost tripped from the arm of the couch, but Phoebe grabbed her by the waist and pull her back. And they weren't even teammates.

Thalia peeled their eyes away, looking at Annabeth instead who had ended up being their teammate this round. "Tattoo roulette."

Reyna shot them a horrified look. "Like actual tattoos?"

Thalia smirked at her mischievously, hoping to scare her more for a few more seconds before they could ease her mind. When Reyna's eyes widened further, they laughed and shook their head. "No, just a henna. But it's good quality ink. One time, the word bitch lasted for two whole weeks on Percy's neck."

They all laughed at the memory except for Percy who probably still hadn't forgiven them for it. Eh, they still considered it one of their best drunken ideas ever.

"Safe zone!" Thalia announced and they all jumped toward it and sat down in a circle. Thalia jumped to their room quick to grab the henna pen and then sat down next to Phoebe.

"Who's starting?" Thalia asked, looking around the group and Rachel shrugged her shoulders, holding her hand up.

"Tony Stark."

"Wait what's the rule?" Reyna asked, noticing she was sitting to Rachel's right and Rachel was staring at her expectantly.

"Just go the other way. You'll figure it out. It's hard to explain," Annabeth answered and Reyna nodded, still a little unsure. Thalia was on Rachel's left so she went next.

"RDJ."

Phoebe took a second before going, "Sherlock Holmes."

"Benedict Cumberbatch."

"Star Trek."

"Star _Wars_."

"Star- _Lord."_

"Andy Dwire!" Percy exclaimed and then turned to look at Reyna who still look extremely confused.

"Guardians of the Galaxy...?" She hesitated, meeting Thalia's gaze and Thalia gave her two reassuring thumbs up.

"Yeah, you got it!"

"This made absolutely no sense..." Reyna answered but still, she looked pretty relieved to be safe from a two-week semi-permanent tattoo.

"Okay. Zoe Saldana!" Rachel continued.

"Avatar!"

"Avatar: _The Last Airbender!"_

 _"_ Suki the Kyoshi Warrior!"

"Suki Waterhouse."

"Robert Pattinson."

"Twilight."

"Kristen Stewart."

"Charlie's Angels."

"Naomi Scott."

"How do you lose exactly...?" Reyna asked and Phoebe turned to answer her as the rest kept going, talking right in her ear. Thalia found themselves tapping their fingers over their knee irritably.

Somehow Thalia's turn had finally arrived but they had no idea what Phoebe had just said because they were too busy trying not to focus on the fact that her knee was leaning against Reyna's and Reyna wasn't trying to move away as Thalia knew she normally would have.

They remembered Percy going for Ryan Gosling so they figured they jumped into the world of musicals. "La La Land?" They offered. They couldn't have moved into a new subject already.

"See? That's how you lose!" Phoebe laughed, shoving Thalia's shoulder playfully. "At your own game, Sparky? Seriously!"

With a groan, Thalia reclined all the way back until their head was against the floor. "Don't call me, Sparky, you brat."

Phoebe snorted, uncapping the Henna pen. "That's not how I remember our relationship working," Phoebe laughed, with an edge in her voice that Thalia knew all too well. They couldn't help the flip in their stomach as they shot up to glare at her. They were pretty sure they had made her swear not to tell anyone about that. And while technically, she hadn't said anything, they knew everyone pretty much caught on.

"Ew, god, keep all that kinky shit to yourselves, please!" Percy cringed hard.

Thalia shot daggers at Phoebe whole looked way too delighted for exposing them like that. Look, Thalia was NOT a brat. They were most definitely a top, but they did enjoy the occasional switch in dynamics. And sometimes, when you're drunk, and you're fooling around with your fwb, you start indulging in the kinkier side of things, and sometimes it involves roleplaying, and sometimes that roleplaying involves taking the role of a bottom who just happens to be very bratty.

Thalia cleared their throat, and looked up at the ceiling to avoid any further embarrassment. "Whatever. Just do your worst."

They ended up with a semi-permanent drawing of an ejaculating penis on their chest because Percy was the most childish guy in the world, and everyone else was too drunk to tell him it was actually not that funny. Even Thalia found it a little bit hilarious at the time, though they never gave their friends the satisfaction, keeping a scowl on their face the entire time.

They went back to the Lava area and played another few rounds until Reyna reached the coffee table check point and it was her turn to decide what the next mini-game was going to be.

"So, what are my options?"

Percy grinned excitedly, rubbing his hands together enthusiastically. "Well, you've already seen Chicken Run and Tattoo Roulette. There's Shots. Uh, Factoids. Spin The Bottle without a bottle. Any drinking game is actually valid here. Uh, Mafia. Paranoia. Any party game too. Literally, anything you want. We once played a wrestling game, but Charlie accidentally stepped on Clarisse's hand... it wasn't pretty."

Thalia cringed at the memory, remembering Clarisse's bent finger. It really wasn't pretty.

"If you don't know what to pick, you can choose a wild card," Annabeth told her and that seemed to interest Reyna a lot more than all the options Percy had given her.

"What's a wild card?"

Annabeth smirked at that. "I'm glad you asked." She held out the "pause" sign with her hands and then jumped down from her spot and ran over to her backpack.

She came back a few moments later carrying an old box of brown sugar cinnamon flavoured pop tarts that was now filled with pieces of paper they'd all drunkenly written mystery options in specifically for this occasion during their first game as they were creating the rules that didn't actually exist.

Annabeth held out the box to Reyna and motioned for her to pick a "wild card." Reyna hesitantly placed her hand in the box and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. She slowly unfolded it and then squinted to read whatever it said.

"Sheesh... whoever wrote this seriously needs to fix their handwriting," she exclaimed.

"It was probably Percy," Annabeth chuckled, sending Percy an air-kiss before he could whine about it.

"Spin the bottle," Reyna read out loud and Beckendorf groaned, running his hands over his hair.

"I really don't want to end up kissing Jackson again."

"Hey— I'm a great kisser!"

"I can vouch for that," Annabeth agreed and Percy grinned joyfully, planting a kiss on her forehead.

"So can I," Rachel coughed, and Annabeth glared at her, but it was mostly all fun and games. There was a tiny love-triangle thing going on in their sophomore year of high school, but they'd pretty much become really good friends now. Besides, Rachel figured out that dating and relationships were not her thing.

"Safe Zone?" Grover asked and they all went back to the safe zone, sitting in a circle again.

"We're doing this without a bottle?" Reyna asked and Thalia nodded.

"Yeah. It's more like countdown, rock, paper, scissors, or then chugging your drink if you don't do it, but that name's not catchy," they explained, and they all started playing.

They did a countdown, and this time they were allowed to use all ten fingers.

Thalia and Rachel got the same numbers so they played a game of rock, paper, scissors which Rachel ended up winning, and it was her turn to choose a person from the group for Thalia.

"I'm pretty sure you're the only one here who has never kissed Percy yet," Rachel started and Thalia realised that it was actually true but they stared horrified at Rachel because no, they were NOT going to kiss their cousin. Even if they weren't into guys and it wouldn't mean anything.

"No... Rachel, do NOT," Percy begged her, giving her the pleading eyes. He always had the most effective puppy-dog eyes. But Rachel didn't fall for them. "Reyna hasn't kissed me yet, either. Just don't make me kiss Thalia."

Rachel's face split into a grin and her head lolled back as she burst out laughing. "Dude, you should've seen your faces. I'm not gonna make you kiss your cousin, jeez. I'm not that crazy."

"Country rooooooad," Grover belted out mid laughter. "Take me hoooooome."

"To the place I beeeeelong!" Charlie continued, and they all started singing along as they laughed except for Percy and Thalia who hadn't yet recovered form it.

"West Virginia! Mountain Mamaaaa, take me home, country roads!"

When they had all finally settled down, Thalia fought back a little smile, choosing to stare down at their knees as they waited for Rachel to say something.

"I'll go easy for the first round, I guess. Just make out with Phoebes. Nothing we haven't seen before."

Thalia shrugged, crawling over to Phoebe who was sitting across from them this time. Phoebe moved easily, grabbing Thalia by the face and she leaned in, pressing her parted lips over theirs. Thalia's hands moved on their own accord, grabbing onto Phoebe's bare waist and brushed their tongue over hers as their friends whooped and hollered in the background. The rules of the game didn't need them to make-out fully with tongue, but it was Thalia and Phoebe, and no one expected anything less.

Thalia knew Phoebe in that sense pretty well. They'd done this plenty of times before to let out their boredom and it never really meant anything, as mind blowing as it always was. Phoebe always knew what she was doing. And as amazing as kissing her still felt right now, there was a lot that was missing and Thalia realised they weren't enjoying like they used to. They realised she didn't feel or taste right, and it wasn't because of the alcohol in her breath or the cold ring pierced into the right corner of her lip. They realised that they wanted her to taste like strawberry chapstick and smell like that familiar citrusy perfume they had grown so fond of— and Thalia pulled away.

They noticed Phoebe looking at them questioningly as they both settled back in their seats but thankfully, she kept her thoughts to herself. Thalia didn't know how they would explain why they weren't kissing her with the same enthusiasm they usually had.

They went on with the game, and Thalia ended up kissing Annabeth and Charlie, and Rachel got to kiss Reyna, and Thalia was glad they found it more on the hilarious side of things than not. Everyone else also found it hilarious.

Percy and Grover even shared a peck and of course, Percy just had to mention that it was "no homo," to which Grover responded with "all the homo, bro." Their friendship was kinda funny.

It was Reyna's turn again and it was Percy's turn to decide for her and Thalia just knew this was not going to be fun for them to watch.

"Hmm..." he tapped his fingers over his chin in thought. "How do we feel about... hickeys?" And Thalia was right.

Thalia noticed Annabeth shooting them a look before glaring at Percy, making sure he didn't make a stupid decision. Percy suddenly let out a yelp and Thalia saw Annabeth retreat her hand from behind him. She must've pinched him pretty hard and Thalia was thankful.

"They can cause strokes," Reyna replied instead and man, even when she was drunk she was still fricken annoyingly smart and Thalia felt even more attracted to her, and they had to reassure themselves silently that it was purely a physical attraction.

"So that's a no...?" Percy wondered but Reyna shrugged.

"Hickeys are fine."

Thalia dropped their gaze to their crossed legs, tracing their finger over the ink on their calf. It was a pretty detailed tattoo of a gorgon, so there was a lot to trace over and it helped distract them.

"Ooo, now we're talking!" He clapped his hands excitedly, and the sound barely echoed but Thalia still felt their shoulders jump just a little bit. "Pinecone Face, will you do the honours?"

Thalia looked up at Percy, straightening their back so fast, they felt a crack somewhere in their spine which was actually kind of satisfying. Their eyes moved from Percy's smug smirk, to Reyna's, completely aware of how her pupils had significantly dilated, her eyes turning an even darker, and then back to Percy.

There were only two people in this room who were aware of Thalia's crush which was barely even a crush. And Percy was playing a very dirty game.

They shared a glance with Annabeth who was looking at her with a small frown, and Thalia knew Percy was going to get his ass whopped later. Thalia then turned to look at Reyna, and they weren't sure how Reyna felt about this. But the longer they held her gaze, the more they realised that they didn't want to do it.

They knew Percy thought he was helping them, but he might have just made things more difficult for them because it was then that Thalia realised didn't want to do it like this. Gods, they wanted nothing more than to kiss Reyna, and yeah, maybe mark her skin with their lips and their teeth. But not like this. For the first time ever, they wanted to do it right. They wanted their moments of intimacy with Reyna to be just that: intimate. Not as a part of some stupid drinking game. Not in front of their friends. Not for the sake of possibly taking things further with her.

They wanted to do it right and they wanted it to be just them, without any stupid game rules forcing them, or any alcohol, or any pressures. Just them, intoxicated with one another.

And Thalia realised their attraction might have been just a tad bit more than just physical and they were scared shitless as to what that meant.

They turned their gaze away from Reyna and look at Percy with their jaw set, their hands clenched in fists in their lap. "No."

Percy looked at them curiously, but he didn't ask why. "You sure? You'll both have to chug your drinks."

To answer his question, Thalia grabbed their can of beer that was still pretty much full and chugged it all. They held up it over their head and then crushed it before setting it aside.

Reyna was quiet but as she drank the remainder of her drink, her eyes followed Thalia, the expression on her face hard to read. Thalia didn't dwell on it too much. They didn't want to know if Reyna was pleased about it or disappointed.

Everyone pretty much moved on from that fast and as the second round began again and they all moved back to the Lava zone, Thalia excused themselves, muttering something about "bathroom."

They dashed to the bathroom and closed the door behind them. They weren't really hiding. They really did have to pee after drinking all of that beer. But even after they had flushed the toilet and washed their hands, they still didn't come out. They paced around the small bathroom, looked at themselves in the mirror, splashed some cold water on their face, then went back to pacing around but they couldn't get themselves to come out.

Thalia somehow ended up sitting down in the shower with their back against the cold wall which was kind of soothing.

They didn't know how long they sat there for but a knock came at the door a little while later and they slurred out something that sounded a lot like a mix between "come in" and "it's open." They weren't sure it made any sense and they didn't bother making any sense but either way, the door opened and Reyna stumbled in, looking at Thalia with an unreadable expression on her face.

"I have to pee..." she offered and Thalia just nodded, making no move to come out of the shower. They just pulled the curtain closed and leaned their chin over their knees.

They heard the door close and saw Reyna's shadow move to the toilet and sit down. But it was eerily quiet for a few moments and the awkward tension of it all felt too heavy to handle.

"Are you pee-constipated?"

"I think that's called urinary retention."

Thalia rolled their eyes.

"Are you urinary retended?"

There was an awkward pause and then Reyna burst out laughing and as much as they didn't want to, Thalia couldn't force back their smile.

"That's not even a word, you idiot."

Thalia exhaled a laugh through their nose. "Shut up."

Reyna laughed some more and moved to stared at the shower curtain. Thalia could only see her shadow but their heart still starting beating faster. "I didn't actually have to pee," Reyna confessed.

Thalia didn't ask her why she came in. If Reyna wanted to tell them, she would. But these days, it seemed like Reyna did a lot of things that never made sense without telling them why.

Reyna didn't say anything for another few minutes.

"Everyone else left, by the way. You've been here for almost forty minutes."

Thalia was actually surprised but sure enough, when they pulled out their phone, they noticed a message from Annabeth that was sent about thirty minutes earlier. They opened it and all it read was "u okay?"

They hadn't even felt their phone vibrate with the notification.

They sent back a quick response to reassure Annabeth and telling her to be safe considering she was probably wasted, along with the rest of their friends.

"Got them a cab and made sure they got all got in safe. They're pretty trashed."

They both chuckled and Thalia twirled their phone in their hand, trying to keep busy.

"How do you even come up with such a game?" Reyna asked and Thalia laughed softly, leaning their head back against the cool shower tiles.

"A very boring summer, a lot of stolen alcohol from dad's cellar, and probably some weed."

"A lot of it, I'd say," Reyna said and Thalia smiled, nodding their head, though Reyna probably couldn't see it so they murmured a soft "yeah."

Thalia was starting to wish that Reyna would just pee and leave them alone to dwell in their own misery but Reyna stayed put, awkwardly silent, sitting on the toilet. Thalia started playing with the shower faucet, flicking it on and off, and on and off. They realised they still had their phone in their hand but in their current they didn't really care if it got wet or not.

Their hair was wet and sticking to their forehead, but the rest of them was only peppered with water droplets.

They turned the faucet on again.

"Why did you say no?"

They didn't turn it back off.

"Why did you kiss me the other night?" They didn't speak any louder but even with the shower on, Reyna still seemed to hear them.

"Because." She didn't give them any further explanation and it got Thalia more irritated than ever before, and it was enough to trigger their fight response instead of the flight they were used to. They pushed themselves up to their feet, getting the rest of their body wet and pulled the shower curtain open only to be faced with Reyna just a foot or two away. Thalia pushed past her, splashing water everywhere.

"God, Reyna. What the hell's your problem?" They threw their arms up over their head and dropped them back hard against their wet shorts as they turned back around to face Reyna. "First you kiss me and pretend like it never even happened. Then, you kiss me again and you offer absolutely no explanation and completely ignore the fact that you did it. What do you want from me? I mean— do you want me or not? I'm good with whatever the hell you want, but don't fucking toy with me like that. If you're just looking to have let out some steam, I get it. But if you're still confused about I don't know— if you're confused about what you want or who you are or whatever, I can help you, Reyna. But not like that."

Thalia were breathing hard by the end of their rant, and they dropped their hands again to their side after realising they were being way too animated while expression their feelings.

They looked at Reyna expectantly, waiting for an answer but they didn't expect her to look as calm and collected as she did right then. "I'm not confused," Reyna told them, taking a step closer in their direction. "I don't— I didn't mean to toy with your feelings like that, and I'm really sorry, but... it's not just one sided, is it?"

"What?"

Reyna breathed out a laugh. "The fricken tension." She motioned between them, her fingers grazing against Thalia's wet torso as they were standing closer to each other than before. Thalia hadn't noticed when they'd move so close to each other.

"No," Thalia breathed out. "It's not." Their voice was just above a whisper.

"So?"

"So why did you kiss me?" Thalia demanded. Reyna's eyes flickered to the door behind Thalia and they thought she would try and escape the question again but her eyes turned to Thalia's again and she moved in even closer.

"Because I really wanted to. And I thought you did too. But maybe I was wrong."

Their noses almost touched and Thalia's gazed dropped to Reyna's lips, pink and soft and plump and she ran her tongue over them to wet them, leaving them red and glistening in the dim bathroom light. Thalia looked back up to meet her gaze. "You weren't wrong."

Reyna held eye contact, her face absolutely expressionless. Thalia had no idea how she did that. "So?"

They didn't answer with words. Instead, they grabbed her by the cheeks and pulled her in until their lips came crashing together and Reyna stumbled backwards. She grabbed Thalia by the arms to steady herself but instead, only ended up pulling them both into the shower, the water still streaming down hard and cold.

Thalia didn't care, pushing Reyna flat against the wall. They trailed their hands down her sides and found her hands, lacing their fingers together and pinning her arms against the wall.

Reyna tilted her head back against the wall, opening her mouth just a little bit and Thalia pushed their tongue past her parted lips. They couldn't help but compare it to the kiss they had shared with Phoebe only moments earlier. Reyna was nothing like Phoebe. She wasn't as certain as Phoebe with her movements and her grip was much gentler, her lips much softer, her kiss much less aggressive — however need and hunger for more was in it. And Thalia was putty under her touch. They didn't want to pull away. They were sure they had found their favourite lips to kiss.

They pulled back to catch a breath which was a little hard with the water dripping over their heads but Thalia wanted to breathe in Reyna. They dipped their head into the crook of her neck and pressed their lips against her wet skin.

Reyna let out a small choked sound which only encouraged Thalia to kiss her even harder. They grazed their teeth against her skin, pulling it between their lips. Reyna tilted her head back further, giving Thalia more space.

"I thought you didn't want to do this," she croaked out and Thalia laughed into her skin, pulling away just a little to admire the red skin.

"Not as part of a game."

Reyna stared at her for a few seconds and Thalia could see the gears turning in her mind. And then Reyna pushed Thalia back a little, making more space for her to grab the hem of her shirt and pull it over her head. She threw it on the bathroom floor then grabbed Thalia by the waist again and pulled them against her body, chest to chest.

Thalia leaned in again, a small smile playing on their lips as they kissed Reyna's jaw. Reyna's fingers ran up their back and tangled through their hair, pulling the strands back until Thalia was staring up at them with a little smirk and a laugh. Reyna pulled them in by their hair until they were kissing again, a wet and hot kiss and Thalia was breathing heavily just a few seconds in. They were thankful for the cold water spraying them from the shower head.

Reyna pulled back for a moment, taking in a deep breath as she nuzzled Thalia's cheek. She kissed the corner of their mouth, moving down along the shape of their squared jaw.

"This is all..." Thalia trailed off, taking in a sharp breath as Reyna started sucking on the spot where their jaw met their neck by their ear and it was heavenly.

"Strictly platonic."

"Right," Thalia breathed out, shutting their eyes tight and revelling in the feeling of Reyna's lips on their skin. They could barely make a coherent thought with the alcohol coursing through their veins and Reyna's lips, warm and wet against their skin. "Just sex?"

"Right... yeah," Reyna confirmed with a small nod. She pulled back and pecked Thalia's lips quickly. "You're fine with that?"

"Yeah, I'm not a relationship kind of person."

"Right. Me neither."

Thalia nodded. They'd had that same conversation many times. But with Reyna, they had to take a second to process their agreement. Finally, they nodded even slower and they gave Reyna their favourite shit-eating grin. Though it sort of felt forced, but they brushed that feeling off quickly.

"So, it's settled then."

"Yeah," Reyna breathed out, brushing her lips against Thalia's. "Do you wanna go to my room?"

Thalia nodded before remembering— "Your dogs are in there."

"Right... your room?" Thalia nodded with more enthusiasm this time.

They reached over and turned the running water off. Then they grabbed Reyna by the hand and pulled her out of the bathroom, but before they had even made it into the hall, Reyna was pushing them against the wall, arms firmly wrapped around their waist.

Somehow, they managed to make it to Thalia's room without breaking the kiss. Thalia kicked the door closed and walked Reyna backwards all the way to their bed.

"We're gonna get your sheets all wet," Reyna mumbled against Thalia's cheek but they just shrugged, pushing her down against the mattress.

"Don't care," they answered, moving until they were hovering over them, hands on either side of her head. A droplet of water slid down Thalia's chin and onto Reyna's face, making her wrinkle her nose and Thalia grinned, leaning her face in and kissing the drop of water away. "Your jeans are gonna be a bitch to get off, though."

"Get it over with, then."

Thalia raised an eyebrow, a little taken aback by her forwardness but they didn't complain. They grinned toothily, standing on the ground for easier access. They watched as Reyna undid her belt, but she stopped there. Thalia pushed her hands away and unbuttoned the pants. They then grabbed the zipper slider and pulled it all the way down and Reyna watched Thalia the entire time, even as they grabbed the pants by the waistband and started pulling them down her legs (with a little bit of difficulty as the jeans were sticking to her skin because of the water). They had to yank a little harder than necessary but for some reason, it only made it all ten times hotter and Thalia just wanted to dive between Reyna's legs even more now.

Finally, after what felt like agonisingly long hours, Reyna's legs were free and Thalia wrapped their fingers around each of her ankles, trailing them up the smooth skin of her legs and up her thighs until their hands were resting on her hips. Thalia climbed over Reyna, straddling her waist with their thighs and leaning back over her until their faces were only inches apart.

"How do you wanna do this?" Thalia asked into Reyna's neck, softly nibbling at her earlobe with their teeth. They wouldn't mind letting Reyna take the reigns if it was what she was more comfortable with.

"I don't—," Reyna hissed as Thalia moved down to the spot right below her ear, sucking in the skin between her lips. They released it after a few moments, lapping at the spot with their tongue to soothe it and Reyna let out a soft curse under her breath.

With a satisfied smirk, Thalia pulled back and glanced down innocently at Reyna. "You don't mind?"

Reyna took a second to catch her breath. "Yeah... no, uhm," she licked her lips and then pulled her bottom one between her teeth for a moment before releasing it. Thalia couldn't help running their thumb over it, tracing the shape of Reyna's lip before settling their hand on her cheek, cupping it gently. "I've never—,"

Thalia's eyebrows raised unintentionally and their hand stilled on Reyna's cheek. "You've never had—," Reyna interrupted them fast.

"Just with guys. And once with a girl."

Thalia nodded understandingly and their gaze softened as their thumb went back to caressing their cheek softly. "Never been with guys, personally, but I bet they're shit." Thalia grinned and Reyna let out a small laugh and they took it as a sign of agreement. "Trust me. This is gonna blow your mind."

"Are you saying this because you don't have a dick or because of that one person that told you you were their best fuck ever?"

Thalia smiled sheepishly and put on an exaggerated thinking face before finally deciding, "a little bit of both."

Reyna laughed, cracking a wide smile as her hand moved up to rest around Thalia's neck, playing with the tips of their hair there.

With a wide smile, Thalia closed the gap between them again, capturing Reyna's lips in a sweet kiss. But it quickly turned much, much more heated and Reyna's tongue was brushing against Thalia's, her fingers gripping their hair tightly. Thalia pulled Reyna's bottom lip between their teeth, playfully biting at it before releasing it and attaching their lips to her jaw. They trailed their way down to her neck, leaving searing kisses along the way.

They gave the forming bruise on her neck some more attention, and then moved lower to her collarbones. She had one collarbone protruding more than the other and Thalia wondered what kind of accident had broken her clavicle. They've had a similar injury, clumsily falling down the stairs.

They could feel Reyna's beating heart beneath their lips on her skin and they were glad they weren't the only one experiencing heart failure in that moment.

Thalia moved their lips along Reyna's chest and down her sternum, pressing their hands flat against her ribcage as they kissed her abdomen and felt her pull in her stomach for a moment, the muscles rolling under their touch. They reached the waistband of her panties and pulled away, crawling all the way back up until they were staring down at her.

"Reyna?"

Reyna looked up at meet Thalia's gaze."Hmm?"

"Can I undress you... completely?" Thalia asked, making sure they were holding eye contact as they did. They didn't want Reyna to feel pressured into anything and they had to make sure they weren't taking advantage of anything.

Reyna stopped for a second and regarded Thalia curiously. "No one's actually ever asked me that before."

Thalia frowned a little, tracing their thumb over Reyna's cheekbone softly. That wasn't right. They always made sure they had every bit of consent from their partner no matter what they were doing.

"I'm sorry," they murmured but Reyna was smiling up at them. She grabbed their hand that was cupping her cheek and placed a small kiss on their palm.

"It's a huge turn on."

"What? Asking if I can undress you?" Thalia asked, entwining their fingers together and holding their hands against the mattress by Reyna's head.

"Yes."

"Can I undress you, Rey?"

Reyna scrunched her nose. "Calling me Rey's a turnoff."

Thalia held back the urge to roll their eyes. " _Reyna_ ," they started again, using their lowest tone of voice. "Can I undress you?"

Reyna was smirking, really enjoying the way they were teasing Thalia. Thalia couldn't wait to wipe off that smirk off her face. "You can."

"Thank you." Thalia smiled widely, moving their free hand behind Reyna's back and expertly undid her bra clasp. Reyna looked a little impressed.

"I can't even get my own bra off with just one hand."

Thalia grinned arrogantly. "Magical hands, baby!"

Reyna laughed, letting go of Thalia's other to pull her bra off completely and throw it on Thalia's bedroom floor. That knocked the grin right off Thalia's face. Reyna watched in amusement as Thalia dragged their tongue over their lips, their eyes staring right at her chest.

"Gods, you're beautiful." Thalia whispered and kissed the smirk right off Reyna's face.

Thalia's hands moved up Reyna's bare sides, their fingers trailing around the curve of her breasts, hesitantly discovering the new territory. "Is this okay?" They whispered into their kiss and Reyna nodded, pulling Thalia even closer as she bit down on their bottom lip. "Fuck," Thalia breathed out and kissed her with even more eagerness. Their hands gently cupped Reyna's breasts, squeezing them tentatively and Reyna let out a soft moan, giving Thalia more encouragement to use their fingers the way they knew would bring Reyna the most pleasure.

Thalia moved their lips back to Reyna's chest, kissing the top of her right breast softly. They trailed around her nipple for a moment without touching it but when they brushed their lips over it ever so lightly, they felt how pebbled it had gotten. With a little satisfied smirk, they flicked the hard nipple with their thumb, hearing the soft sound of pleasure that Reyna let out.

Reyna's fingers dug into Thalia's wet hair, brushing through it gently as Thalia played with her nipple bud with their fingers, their lips still placing featherlight kisses all around. Their hand kept teasing the right breast while their mouth traveled across her cleavage and to the left one with a matching erect nipple. But this time, they didn't tease it much. Their mouth closed over Reyna's breast, sucking in her nipple and flicking it with their tongue.

Reyna moaned softly again, her grip in Thalia's hair tightening a little. Thalia sucked, and nipped, and lapped over Reyna's skin with their tongue, peppering kisses all around her breast while listening to Reyna's breathing hasten.

When they pulled back, they looked down at Reyna's skin, smiling a little sheepishly at the dark pink blotches along the curve of her breast. Those were going to bruise... They didn't mean to give her love bites. Really. But Reyna wasn't telling them to stop. And then a thought occurred to them and they looked at Reyna seriously.

"You know you can stop me whenever you want, yeah?"

Reyna had the audacity to roll her yes. "I don't want you to stop."

Thalia pulled their cheeky grin again and pecked Reyna's lips quickly.

They kissed her neck again, right above her throat, and down her cleave and ribs, all the way to her bellybutton. And when they reached the waistband of her panties, they hooked their fingers in them, but didn't move them yet. They placed an open-mouthed kiss on her thigh and down the inside of her thigh, feeling the goosebumps start to race along her skin beneath their touch. They kissed their way down to the back of her knee and moved to the other leg, moving up from the knee and up the inside of her thigh again until they returned to the panty line, and only then did they start to slowly pull them all the way down until Reyna was free of them.

They pressed a kiss right above Reyna's ankle and then moved up until they were eye to eye with her, and they gave her a little smirk.

"Reyna..."

"Yeah?" When she spoke that single word, she sounded out of breath, Thalia couldn't wait to hear her when things got much steamier.

"Do you want me to fuck you?" Thalia's voice was quiet, but they made sure every word was clear. They could practically hear Reyna's sharp intake of breath as soon as she had heard the words. Thalia knew exactly what they were doing.

"Fuck, yes," Reyna breathed out, wrapping her arms tighter around Thalia's shoulders. With a little amused smirk, Thalia moved in for another kiss but before Reyna could melt into it, they pulled away just enough so their lips weren't touching, but remained close enough that they could still feel Reyna's breath on their face.

They pecked her lips quickly and delicately started running their calloused fingertips over Reyna's thighs, moving inwards. They grabbed her by the inside of her knees and pushed her legs apart, settling comfortably between them. Thalia leaned down and pressed a soft kiss on the inside of Reyna's thigh. They paid some more attention to her skin with their lips as their fingers ran up the inside of her other thigh. They stopped their hand right above her opening and very slowly dragged their middle finger from the very bottom to that spot just above her folds, and Reyna let out a shaky breath. Their finger came out slick and they breathed out a soft, satisfied chuckle, smirking up at Reyna.

"You're already soaking wet," Thalia murmured, their voice a little husky. Then, with just the pad of their finger, they circled around Reyna's clit, watching as she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth.

"Shit, I've been wet all night," Reyna replied breathlessly. Thalia raised a partially surprised, partially excited eyebrow, grinning just a little as they teased Reyna's entrance, moving around it and up to her clit without directly touching it.

They brushed their lips against Reyna's thigh, inching them closer and closer to her crotch. They stopped right above her clitoris and looked up to meet Reyna's heavy-lidded eyes watching them intensely, their breathing bitting Reyna's sex, making her legs squirm a little.

"Is this okay?" they asked her and with a little smile, Reyna nodded.

"Yes, now can you stop asking and get on with it?"

Thalia breathed out a laugh, a little taken aback by how needy and bossy Reyna was, although considering how she was on normal days, it wasn't all that surprising.

And without a second warning, Thalia dipped their head between Reyna's thighs and closed their mouth around her sex. Using the tip of their tongue, they flicked her clit and Reyna let out a quiet moan, her fingers finding Thalia's hair and tangling through the messy locks. They wondered if she was ever loud...

They used their left hand to keep Reyna's right thigh in place, spread wide enough from the other one, and with their fingers on their right hand, they teased her soaking wet opening, dragging along the edges. Thalia ran the flat of their tongue along Reyna's slit, up to her folds, making Reyna moan a curse in Spanish that was sounded way too hot. Thalia was pretty sure cursing in Spanish wasn't one of their turn ons before this exact second, but now, they wanted to hear Reyna cursing over and over again in her mother tongue.

With their tongue circling around Reyna's clit, they slowly pushed their middle finger in until they were knuckle-deep and Reyna's grip on their hair tightened. Thalia grunted at the pull of their hair but man, it felt amazing.

"Fuck, do that again," Thalia breathed out, their voice muffled as their lips moved over Reyna's folds. They weren't sure if Reyna had heard them or she was just reacting to their finger brushing against her walls as they pulled out and thrusted it back in, but she pulled at Thalia's hair again, even harder this time and it made Thalia's insides coil.

Thalia sucked on Reyna's clit, and with the tip of their finger, they found the spongy surface, thrusting into it with just the right amount of pressure for Reyna to arch her back and let out a whiney cry in pleasure.

"Ah— _joder_ ," Reyna whined. "Right— right there, shit—." Thalia looked up to see Reyna clinging onto the bedsheet with her free hand. Her eyes were closed and she was biting hard on her bottom lip, the colour turning from pink to white, bound to draw blood. Reyna moved to pull her leg up against the bed but Thalia stopped her, wrapping their arm around her leg and keeping it firmly place against the mattress.

Reyna's legs were squirming and her was curved, leaving free space between her and the bed, and Thalia was loving every last second of making Reyna shake in pleasure.

They changed up the rhythm of their tongue, alternating between its tip and the surface and it driving Reyna crazy. She moaned out Thalia's name over and over again and Thalia inserted their ring finger as well, fucking her with two fingers, listening religiously to the sound of Reyna's wetness with every thrust of their fingers.

And when they felt Reyna's walls start to clench around their fingers, they pulled them out, wanting to prolong her release as long as possible. They ran their tongue up from the bottom, the taste of Reyna absolutely addictive, but they didn't stop when they reached her nerve bud at the top. They kept placing kisses all the way up to her abdomen, using their two fingers to tease her entrance some more.

As they climbed over her again and reached Reyna's chest, they could hear her ragged breathing and they smirked, placing a vacuum kiss on her pulse-point, feeling her breath hitch.

Thalia found Reyna's hand on the blanket and coaxed her fingers to relax into theirs, lacing them together and holding her hand up beside her head. They nuzzled her cheek, kissing the corner of her mouth, and then, they pushed their two, soaking wet fingers in again, agonisingly slowly and as deep as their knuckles went. Reyna's mouth fell open with a loud moan but Thalia closed their lips over hers, drinking in her sounds if pleasure, swallowing her every moan, every one of her harsh breaths.

Reyna's free hand travelled down from Thalia's hair to their back, her fingers grazing along their skin as Thalia kissed her long and hard, their fingers moving in and out at a pace so slow, it felt like a lot more than just simple teasing.

"Please," Reyna croaked, breathing out a strangled whine. "Thal— oh, dios mio. Harder. Fuck..."

Thalia smirked against Reyna lips. They let go of her hand and cupped her cheek instead, tilting her head back as they kissed her hungrily, brushing their tongue against hers. Reyna hummed approvingly, both her hands travelling up their sides and to the back of her neck, and Thalia finally conceded. They started thrusting in harder and faster until they felt their hand start to tire, but they never stopped. They pulled away from the kiss, leaning their forehead against Reyna's shoulder and peppering it with gentle kisses as she let out small whimpers into their ear.

Thalia's movements became a little sloppier, the steady rhythm becoming harder to keep up with, but Reyna's walls tightened and she clenched her thighs around Thalia's arm tightly. Trailing their free hand to her thighs, they gently coaxed them back open as Reyna's insides clenched around their fingers.

"I'm so— _chingame_ ," Reyna's nails dug into Thalia's shoulders. "I'm coming—," and with just another thrust, Reyna was letting out a cry as she climaxed, clenched tightly around Thalia's fingers, still working to help her ride out her pleasure.

Thalia waited until Reyna had finally settled back down, kissing her shoulder soothingly, before finally pulling out their fingers. They noticed her legs were still shaking and with an amused smirk, they sat up on their knees, straddling her waist, and stared down at her, eyes still closed and face contorted in pleasure. Thalia's breath hitched, watching Reyna's expression relax and eyes slowly blink open. She really was so beautiful.

Their eyes danced amusedly as Reyna still tried to catch her breath, looking at Thalia with her eyes wide.

"Hi," Thalia murmured, holding their fingers up to their mouth. As Reyna watched, they pushed their two fingers between their lips, licking them clean and they could see her eyes darken again for a moment as they hollowed their cheeks, sucking on them until they could no longer taste Reyna.

Reyna's hands moved to hold Thalia by the waist. She cleared her throat as Thalia dropped their hand back down. "Hi," she replied, her voice a little hoarse and Thalia grinned widely.

"You okay?"

"I— yeah," Reyna breathed out a laugh and nodded her head slowly. "Yeah, I'm great. That was..." she laughed again and closed her eyes, running her tongue over her lips and then she finished in a whisper, "wow."

"Told you I'm great."

That earned them a slap on the arm, which they kind of deserved but that didn't stop them from grabbing Reyna's arms and pinning them against the mattress.

"That's not how you say thank you," Thalia tsked, shaking their head.

"You want a thank you?" Reyna smirked with an eyebrow raised.

"Hm, yeah, I think I deserve one for my legendary work."

"Okay, here's your thank you!" And with that, Reyna flipped them over until she was straddling Thalia and pinning their arms against the mattress.

Well, they were not expecting that.

"Hey— what the fuck are you—,"

"Shut up and let me say thank you, will you?" Reyna smirked amusedly and leaned down, cutting off Thalia's whines of protest with a searing kiss.

And jesus fucking christ, it was the best thank you Thalia had ever received from anyone.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> trigger warning: mentions and descriptions of gender dysphoria. there's also some smut.

_"GRACE, I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"_

Thalia woke up startled, instantly jumping up to their feet with their hands held our in front of them defensively, although they weren't sure what they were defending themselves from just yet.

And then Reyna let out another frustrated groan and they figured they must have done something to majorly piss her off and yeah, they were going to die.

They rubbed their eyes with their fingers while grabbing their phone from the bedside table to check the time. 7:49 a.m. They let out a small. frustrated whine as they walked to their bedroom door, pulling it open and stepping into the hall.

"What did I do?" They mumbled groggily, their voice still raspy and heavy with sleep. They squinted a little, their eyes still sensitive to the brightness, and saw the two hounds, Aurum and Argentum, happily playing a game of tug of war with their toy right outside Reyna's room.

They padded over there, feeling a little breezy as they were only wearing an oversized t-shirt. They stood in the doorway and found Reyna in front of her mirror, buttoning her shirt with much more aggression than necessary. She looked pretty good with her hair neatly braided down her back and a pair of high-waisted jeans hanging just above her hips.

Reyna turned around when she saw Thalia in the mirror, her eyes blazing. She started tucking her shirt in the pants, silently glaring at Thalia the entire time while they just stood there awkwardly, combing their fingers through their messy head of hair; they knew how it always stuck up in all directions after a goodnight's sleep.

"What's up...?" Thalia coughed, hoping Reyna would offer some sort of explanation so they could go back to bed. It was their day off and they really wanted to take advantage of it.

Reyna only pointed at her neck and it took Thalia a few blinks and a second to realise she was pointing at a very purple bruise, just under the side of jaw, very clearly visible to anyone who hadn't just woken up within an instance. They couldn't help but give her a lazy version of their signature crooked grin.

"What? It's hot."

Reyna glared harder at them and Thalia's smile slowly started to droop. "I've got the fucking internship thingy. I can't show up like this!"

"That online thing? Dude, no one's gonna notice it." Thalia chuckled tiredly and turned around to head back to their room. They didn't understand why Reyna liked to dress up completely for a zoom session, it wasn't like anyone was going to see her from the waist down.

" _Dude_ ," Reyna snapped, "It's like a fucking bright neon sign screaming OH LOOK AT ME! I HAD SEX LAST NIGHT!"

Thalia was in the middle of yawning when Reyna started yelling those words and they interrupted it with a laugh, grinning at her brightly. "You did have sex last night. Awesome sex, actually. _Reaaaally_ awesome—,"

"Yeah, but my boss does not need to know that!"

"You weren't complaining last night," Thalia told her in amusement but Reyna was not finding any part of this funny in any way.

Reyna dropped her hands against her sides, her hands slapping against the fabric of her jeans and she was fuming. With a defeated sigh, Thalia turned around and started making their way toward the bathroom.

"Come on," they muttered and started fumbling through the cabinet until they found their make-up bag. They unzipped it and fumbled until they found the concealer stick. The opened the cap and turned around to face Reyna expectantly. "C'mere," they motioned for her to come closer and she did, though a little reluctantly.

"Is that really going to help?" She asked, eyeing with a little worry the light-beige product in Thalia's hand. "And besides, your skin's a lot lighter than mine, so..."

Thalia rolled their eyes, pulling Reyna even closer as they started getting impatient. "I know what I'm doing."

They gently grabbed Reyna by the chin and tilted her head up so they could see the love bite better. They went to work, using the different make-up products they had available which they may or may not have bought specifically for this exact reason. They'd done this plenty of times in the past.

Reyna started folding her arms impatiently, and tapping her foot against the floor, letting out heavy sighs and Thalia had to keep holding on to her jaw to stop her from moving too much until they were done. And not to be arrogant or anything, but they thought they deserved a nice pat on the back.

"And... you're all set!" They clicked the cap back onto the foundation tube and placed it back in the make-up bag. "No one's gonna know about your freaky little midnight adventures."

Reyna rolled her eyes Thalia. "It wasn't freaky."

Thalia's lips curved up into a little smirk. They pushed past Reyna to get to the sink and wash their hands. "Not as freaky as the last week... true."

Reyna's cheeks turned bright red at the memory. Ignoring Thalia completely, she turned to face the mirror to inspect her neck and as Thalia had promised, there was no sign of hickeys and freaky midnight adventurers whatsoever. With a little sigh of relief, she gave Thalia a little smile and squeezed her shoulder lightly. "Thank you."

"Yep, no problemo," they clapped their hands together, shot Reyna a grin, and then tiredly shuffled back to their room, slipping under the blankets and melting back into blissful sleep.

Thalia and Reyna had been doing this for a few weeks now. Thalia wasn't even sure what they were. Friends with benefits? Roommates who occasionally had some really great sex because they found each other attractive and were constantly looking for ways to blow off steam since they were stuck for most of their time in the two bedroom apartment doing, driving each other insane?

They had both made it very clear that it was just sex. There was nothing exclusive going on between them, just some platonic love making every now and then. Though it was pretty frequent. And quite mind-blowing. Reyna might not have had enough experience with, well, vaginas, but she still knew how to make Thalia weak at the knees and leave their legs shaking long after they were done.

They hadn't exactly told their friends yet, mostly because they knew Annabeth would never let them hear the end of it, about how it wad the dumbest idea in the world and how it was all going to come back to bite them in the ass in the end when it all went downhill because feelings are real and they do get hurt quite easily. But this wasn't a Romcom, and they weren't Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis. They weren't Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher. It wasn't Hollywood and Thalia was pretty sure they weren't about to just fall in love with Reyna just because they were sleeping together every other night, and sometimes during the day. And some mornings. Like... they were _pretty_ sure.

They never even slept in the same bed. Reyna always went back to her own room or kicked Thalia out of her room once they were both relaxed and happy. Which kind of sucked because Thalia kind of liked to cuddle. They'd never admit it out loud but they did. They were left feeling a little touch-starved sometimes and hearing the words _can you turn off the lights on your way out_? just as they were starting to melt comfortably into Reyna's side wasn't exactly their definition of fun.

But they always turned the lights off on their way out and even went out of their way to close the door as they slipped back into their shirt and made their way to their room to sit on the fire escape and smoke a cigarette.

They kind of understood why Reyna would want to keep a distance. Getting too close meant catching feelings and catching feelings wasn't in either one of their agendas for the remainder of their time as roommates — however long that was going to be. They were better off keeping their friendship strictly platonic and the sex strictly casual.

Besides, it was much easier when there were no strings attached because for once neither one of them had to try so hard to please the other. The fact that there really weren't any expectations made communication easier and telling each other exactly what they liked and disliked. Reyna wasn't shy enough to tell them to change certain things and Thalia was always happy to. Reyna also always stopped to make sure Thalia was comfortable with whatever she was doing, trying her best to not trigger their dysphoria and honestly, not many people had ever been that considerate. The communication made it all ten times better.

But every time they went their separate ways at the end of the night and Thalia was left alone with their thoughts, something always felt _off._ Their chest felt heavy and their stomach was left with butterflies, and not the nice kind. They almost felt... sad. Which they didn't understand because they were pretty sure they had read somewhere that sex was supposed to released a cocktail of happy hormones. And yet there they were, in their room, always on edge.

And still, they couldn't stop. Any time Reyna gave them the look, they got a surge of excitement in their chest and they were getting undressed faster than they could say _yes._

And that's how they ended up slammed against their bedroom door with Reyna attacking their neck and it was incredibly to remain quiet, but they weren't alone in the apartment. Reyna's friends were in town and they were currently sitting around watching a movie in the living room with Percy and Annabeth who had stopped by as well.

They were watching Hamilton and Thalia had no idea what in that entire musical had turned Reyna on. She had just turned to Thalia with _that_ look while Eliza Hamilton was wishing Alexander Hamilton would _buuuuuuurn._

Thalia mouthed "right now?" with a confused look on their face and Reyna only shrugged, giving them a small grimace and excused herself to go to the bathroom. Thalia waited a few minutes before announcing that they needed a smoke and slipped into the hall just as Reyna grabbed them by the arm and pulled them into their room, slamming them against the door as it shut behind them.

But they really weren't complaining as Reyna's hand fumbled for the button on their skinny jeans and pulled the zipper down. Reyna pushed past their briefs and dipped two fingers deep inside. Thalia's mouth fell open and they had to bury their face in Reyna's shoulder to muffle the noises they were trying so hard to keep at bay. They could hear the music from the tv all the way from their room so they figured maybe they were in the clear.

Thalia used their own hands to help Reyna feel good and it wasn't long before they were both coming hard, legs trembling. Reyna held onto Thalia for dear life whole Thalia leaned their entire weight against the door, keeping themselves up on their feet. Reyna pulled her hand back to her hand out and buttoned Thalia's pants up. She grabbed Thalia by the face, kissed them senseless, leaving their mind foggy and their lungs breathless before reaching past them and opening the door.

She silently slipped back out and Thalia bent forward, grabbing their knees as they tried to regain their breath. They heard the water running in the bathroom for a few seconds and they let out a small, exhilarated laugh, shaking their head to ruffle their hair, waiting until they heard her footsteps retreating. They counted ti ten in their head before finally following after Reyna, making a quick stop in the bathroom to freshen up before settling back down in their seat on the carpet like nothing had happened. Although, they did notice a funny look on Annabeth's face as they had regained their seat but they decided to think nothing of it.

Of course, only until Annabeth leaned forward and whispered in their ear: "You're not as slick as you think you are."

Thalia ignored her, hoping she wouldn't mention it again for the rest of the night, but they weren't so lucky. Reyna's friends Nico and Hazel left an hour or so after the movie was over and Reyna tagged along, leaving Percy, Annabeth, and Thalia alone in the living room, sprawled on the couches and playing a game of Mario Kart on their Nintendo Switch which was connected to the television.

Annabeth beat their asses three games in a row playing with Princess Peach which made Percy toss his controller on the couch angrily and sit with his arms cross as he sulked.

"Hey— that's my controller, you asshole. Don't throw it like that!" Thalia snapped at him, smacking him on the arm hard.

"Whatever!" With a little pout, Percy got up and started making his way to the kitchen. "Do you have any soda?"

"I think there's some Dr. Pepper in the fridge," Thalia called back as they got up and walked over to their game console to switch it off.

"So," Annabeth started, planting her feet on the coffee table in front of her. Thalia raised a questioning eyebrow when she didn't say anything else.

"What?" They asked impatiently, flopping down on the armchair to the side and bringing their knees up to their chest.

"Were you ever planning on telling us?"

Thalia knew that playing dumb wouldn't save them but they still did it anyway. "Tell you what?" They kept a straight face, batting their lashes innocently at Annabeth who clearly wasn't buying any of their bullshit.

"That you and Reyna are clearly sleeping together," she spelled it out for them, her expression pretty neutral as she tried to read Thalia's thoughts.

"We're not sleeping together," Thalia said, and technically, they weren't exactly lying. Technically speaking.

Annabeth let out a disbelieving chuckle. "Oh, really?" She drawled out sarcastically and Thalia nodded their head.

"Yeah!" They insisted. "We just fuck, and then we sleep in our own rooms."

Percy was walking into the room as soon as they had spoken and he quite literally choked on his soda. He fell into a coughing fit, hitting himself on the chest with his fist as he tried to catch his breath, his face turning beet red. Thalia winced as Percy wheezed, slumping down on the couch next to Annabeth who was pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration.

"You just almost killed my boyfriend."

"And your cousin. Your. _Own._ Cousin!" Percy breathed out, his voice coming out scratchy, cracking on every word and if it were any other situation, Thalia might have fallen into a heavy fit of laughter. He wiped furiously at the tears that had escaped his eyes from the choking, sending Thalia a glare but then, slowly, it started to turn into a grin which was kind of weird. And a little creepy, honestly.

"You're sleeping with Reyna?"

Thalia shrugged nonchalantly.

"What happened to 'I'm gonna move on"?" Annabeth asked them, her arms crossed over her chest.

Thalia shrugged again. "She kissed me again like an hour after I made that decision."

"AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ME?" Annabeth yelled, her eyes widening a little in shock and then narrowing as they tried to draw out more information from Thalia.

"Because!" Thalia snapped defensively in response. "I knew you were going to react like that."

Annabeth took in a deep breath, giving Thalia a look that told them she was going to try and stay calm. Percy was laughing quietly in his seat.

"Honestly, I think that's awesome. At least, you're finally getting some."

Thalia grabbed the pillow that was behind them and aimed it perfectly at Percy's head, and even when it hit him right in the face, he was still laughing.

"You're not helping, seaweed brain. Shut up," Annabeth grumbled and turned back to face Thalia. "So, what? You're roommates with benefits or something?"

"Yeah, I guess—,"

"WAIT!" Percy suddenly exclaimed, his eyes widening. "Wait— you guys fucked while we were watching the movie, didn't you? I knew it!"

Thalia rolled their eyes. "You didn't even notice we were gone, idiot. You were too busy trying to rap every single part."

"And I did a great job at it!" Percy held out his chin proudly and took a sip from his drink.

"Of course you did, sweetheart," Annabeth reassured him, giving his hair a small ruffle, although it sounded quite sarcastic to Thalia, which made them chuckle quietly.

"Wait, ew, ew! We were sharing the same bowl of popcorn!" Percy cried out, grimacing in horror and even letting out a gag which was quite excessive and dramatic.

"We washed our hands!" Thalia exclaimed, scoffing with a little shake of their head.

Annabeth sighed and turned to face Thalia fully. "What happened to your crush?"

"Wasn't a crush. Just an attraction," Thalia responded almost too fast, and it sounded to them like they were trying to convince themselves more so than their friends. They shook the thought out of their head. They knew they didn't have a crush on Reyna.

"Riiiiight. And sleeping with her isn't affecting your feelings in any way?"

"No, of course not," Thalia chuckled. "There weren't any feelings to begin with."

Annabeth didn't look convinced, but she let out a sigh and leaned forward, placing a gentle hand on Thalia's knee. "Thal... I just don't want you to get hurt," Annabeth said in a sincere voice, her eyes softening a little.

Thalia placed their hand over Annabeth's and gave her a reassuring smile. "And I'm not gonna. It's just really mind blowing, meaningless sex. The only thing that can hurt me is how bendy—"

"OKAY! I'm gonna need you to NOT finish that sentence!" Percy cut them off loudly, and Thalia shot him a little smirk and a subtle wink to make him just a little bit more uncomfortable.

"Okay... if you're so sure..." Annabeth sighed. "We're here for you, in case, you know," she shrugged her shoulders, giving Thalia's hand a comforting squeeze before finally letting go.

Things with Reyna could not have been going any better actually. What was better than the occasional hook-up without the awkwardness leading up to it or the awkwardness after? Plus, Reyna was being much more agreeable around the apartment. Thalia realised they could get away with a lot more. They didn't do the dishes? They made up for it easily in bed. Got the entire bathroom floor wet after their shower and forgot to dry it to avoid any slippery hazards? They made up for it in the shower... after wiping it clean, of course. The dangers of slipping were real.

And Reyna was much nicer. She showed more interest in Thalia's life, whether it be their work or art or simply letting them rant about the overrated artists they were forced to study at university as opposed to some of their own personal favourite artists who they believed were largely underrated. They returned the favour, of course, and listened while Reyna went on about politics and law and lots of big words Thalia could never understand and barely even remember (I mean, how do you even pronounce bourgeoisie, right?). Thalia, having always been interested in punk ideologies their entire life, found those conversations interesting which always surprised Reyna who had probably thought they wouldn't care enough to pay much attention.

But of course they paid attention. They always paid attention when Reyna was around. Sometimes, they wished they could pay less attention.

Life in their tiny New York City two-bedroom wasn't so bad. Thalia was actually enjoying it and the new semester came by pretty fast. They had to cut down a little on their work-time, but school was still virtual so, being stuck at home gave them more time to waste. They procrastinated more and studied less, and sometimes, Reyna helped a lot with the procrastination.

But classes weren't always so great. They were only a week in, but they already felt like they were ready to drop out. All five of their different professors misgendering didn't help either. Normally, they'd simply correct the professor and move on, but that week was especially hard.

Some of their classes were small, and the professors had requested they keep their cameras on. And when their photography professor addressed them with female pronouns because of their name and their femme-presenting features, they didn't correct him. They sat back silently, staring at their image on the screen.

They could see the shape of their breasts through their t-shirt whenever they looked down, and even when they didn't, they were _very_ aware of their presence. This didn't happen often, and they didn't have big breast to begin with. Most days, if they felt more masc, they wore their binder. But they woke up feeling a little suffocated that morning, so they went with a simple sports-bra, and it sucked.

It sucked even more that they felt a little more tender... pretty much everywhere. They felt like they were going to be sick the entire morning and they just couldn't get themselves to get out of bed, so they didn't. Periods truly sucked.

They went through the rest of their classes for the day like a ghost, barely registering anything that was being said. And when the day was finally over, they found themselves in front of their mirror, in just their underwear, staring at their chest, and their stomach just kept on churning. But they couldn't bring themselves to look away.

They had experienced some pretty horrible dysphoria before, it wasn't all that new, but that didn't make the feelings any easier to handle, especially when it only seemed to get worse with every passing moment. Maybe staring a their reflection half-naked wasn't such a good idea, but looking away was harder than looking and thinking about how much they hated having boobs and a matching uterus.

They were pulled out of their thoughts when a soft knock came on their door.

"Just a sec," they said, taking notice to how lifeless their voice came out and they grimaced, walking over to their closet and pulling an over-sized sweater over their head. They made their way over to the door and pulled it open to reveal Reyna.

She had a towel wrapped around her hair, two bags in her hands that smelled a lot like Chinese take-out, and her two dogs standing right behind her, drooling over the smell of food.

"Hey! You've been cooped up in there all day! Did you have anything to eat today?" Reyna asked, holding up the bags again suggestively and Thalia's stomach grumbled, despite the fact that it was still stirring uneasily.

Thalia shook their head. "No, I wasn't very hungry," they mumbled softly and walked back over to their bed. They sat down at the edge, slightly turned toward their mirror. They could see their reflection from the corner of their eye but they tried to keep their focus on Reyna. "Did you want something?"

Reyna frowned a little, taking another step into the room, but she stayed by the desk, staying out of Thalia's personal space. "I got dinner. Your favourite, and extra dumplings..." She held up the bag again with a little grin and Thalia offered a smile, but just the mention of food made their stomach stir even more.

"Thanks, but I'm not that hungry. I'll eat later."

Reyna's brow furrowed, watching Thalia in concern. She placed the food on the desk and walked over to the bed, standing next to Thalia. Argentum was the first to follow her and he jumped up onto the bed, nudging Thalia's shoulder with his head. They reached over, giving his head a little scratch.

"You doin' okay?" Reyna asked them softly, sitting down on the bed with just a little bit of distance between the two of them. She placed a gentle hand over Thalia's but they found themselves pulling their hand away and into their lap. They stared down at their hands, fiddling with their fingers and picking at a hangnail on their thumb. "Did something happen?" She asked again, her voice even quieter.

Thalia shrugged their shoulders and turned to glance at the mirror again. In the hoodie they had shrugged on, their chest looked flat but it didn't really help make them feel any better. Their breasts were still sore, their insides still felt like they were in a blender, the cramps didn't help, and they still felt like they were going to vomit.

"No," Thalia replied in a mumble. They let out a breath through their nose and slumped forward. Argentum nudged them again with his head so they wrapped their arms around his body and nuzzled his neck. He was pretty warm and soft and he insisted on licking their face. It made them smile a little as they petted him on the back and kissed his fur gently.

"Well, can I do anything to make you feel better?"

Thalia turned to look at Reyna and gave her a sardonic grin. "Can you like reach up my ass and pull out my uterus, stomp on it till it looks like that canned shit you feed these guys, and then feed it to whoever thought it'd be a fucking hilarious joke to give me said uterus? And then we can go ahead and do the same thing with my boobs."

"I don't think I'll have to reach up your ass to get to your boobs. Or uterus, actually..." Reyna mumbled back and for some reason, that kinda made Thalia's entire day and they found themselves laughing quietly.

"Yeah, thank you for the biology lesson," they chuckled, shoving Reyna's shoulder playfully with theirs.

"I'm sorry," Reyna grimaced a little. She placed her knee against the bed and turned to face Thalia fully, still trying to read their face. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Thalia sighed, wrapping their arms tighter around Argentum. He didn't seem to mind. They laid their chin on his back, scratching along his side and it seemed to soothe them and make him happy, so it was a win-win situation, really. 

"I don't know, I just—," they let out a frustrated groan, slightly muffled by the dog's fur and then looked up to meet Reyna's gaze with a little pout. "I woke up with cramps and I was feeling a little suffocated, so I didn't put on the binder because, you know, it's not healthy and I need to listen to my body but my body's telling me we're masc today, and I can't do anything about it because if I wear the binder, I think I might stop breathing, but when I don't, I still feel like there's a literal elephant stepping on my chest while another one is trying to push its way up throat and then all my professors keep using the wrong pronouns just because my name's more feminine and I have two giant ass balloons on my chest and I'm just— I can't. I can't breathe— and I'm really nauseous and I—"

Thalia took in a choked breath as they felt their heart start racing even faster and their breathing hasten. Their chest felt constricted, and it started to hurt. They wanted to be able to wear the binder even if it would hurt even more. But they knew they shouldn't have and that only made their skin crawl even more. 

They couldn't relax and they couldn't breathe and they felt their eyes sting and the bile rising in their throat— and then Reyna was in their field of vision, and all they could see was Reyna's face, and her hands on their cheeks, gently brushing their skin, and she held their face up so their gaze met. "I think you're having a panic attack..." She said calmly.

Thalia shook their head, taking in a shaky breath. "No— no, I'm not— I don't panic. I'm not having a—" they shook their head again, but that only resulted in letting some of the tears in their eyes to fall down the side of their nose.

"You just described the symptoms of a typical panic attack," Reyna murmured softly, her voice both calm and calming. She brushed Thalia's tears away, keeping their gaze locked. "It's okay. I don't— I don't know what you must be feeling right now, but I know panic attacks and I can help you. Just tell me what you need."

Thalia pushed Reyna's hands away and buried their face in their hands. "I don't know!" They cried out. "It's just so fucking frustrating. I don't want to look in the mirror and see a girl. Because I'm not a girl. But—" they grabbed at their chest, pulling at the fabric of their sweater with a sniffle. "It's suffocating!"

Reyna didn't touch Thalia again but she remained close, and they were grateful.

"Hey," she tried to get their attention. Thalia look up, their fingers tangled through their messy hair. "Wanna focus on your breathing? It'll help," Reyna murmured, her eyes watching Thalia carefully.

Thalia nodded, but it was like they had forgotten how to even breathe. Reyna seemed to have caught on to that so she helped them out. She took in a deep breath of her own, and Thalia tried to follow along, breathing in and out along with her. Deep breath in, count to five, exhale. Inhale. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Exhale. And again.

They must have done it over a hundred times and they felt a little guilty for dragging Reyna into it but she didn't seem to mind. Reyna was patient and calm and collected and just her presence, so close to Thalia's, seemed to help calm them down.

Finally, their heart rate seemed to go back to normal and they were breathing better, and even though their insides were still churning, they felt a little calmer. They wiped their face with their sleeve and gave Reyna a small, appreciative smile.

"I'm sorry," they mumbled, rubbing their eyes with the back of their hands. They must have looked pretty horrible right about now.

"Don't apologise, Thal. It's not your fault and you didn't do anything wrong," Reyna reassured them. She lifted her hand a little, hesitating a little to grab Thalia's hand again. Feeling a little better, they reached over and laced their fingers through Reyna's, giving her a small squeeze, and Reyna gave them a small smile. "Are you feeling any better?"

"Just a little."

Reyna nodded slowly. "What do you wanna do?"

Thalia thought a little. They didn't want to do anything, really. The last thing they needed was something that might trigger an even worse dysphoria induced panic attack. But staying in their room, moping around wasn't going to help. First, they needed to wash up. The hot water would probably help them relax and it usually helped a little with the horrible feelings that came with being on their period.

"Hot shower. Then... dinner. You said extra dumplings, right?"

Reyna grinned and nodded. "Just the way you like 'em."

"Thanks," Thalia smiled. They couldn't help but reach over and pull Reyna in for a hug, even though they knew she wasn't always too keen on such friendly displays of affection. But to their surprise, Reyna didn't pull away immediately. Instead, she hugged them back gently, rubbing their back for a few moments before pulling away.

"I'll get dinner ready while you wash up. I think the food's probably cold by now." Reyna got up and walked over to the table where the bags of food were.

"Yeah... sorry about that," Thalia winced, but it earned them a small glare from Reyna.

"Stop apologising and go shower, stinky!"

Thalia laughed and pushed themselves off the bed. "Shut up."

They walked over to their closet to grab some clean clothes and made a stop to their turntable first. With a little sheepish grin, they turned to Reyna, holding up their phone and the AUX cord. "Do you mind if I play some music?"

Reyna looked a little uncomfortable, like she really didn't want to listen to Thalia's loud music, even though they totally weren't going to. They needed their "sad gay hours" playlist on repeat for a few hours right now. But still, Reyna shook her head. "Yeah, don't worry about it!" she said and stepped out of the room.

With a little chuckle, Thalia plugged in their phone and raised the volume as they pressed shuffle and the first song started playing. Sufjan Stevens... of course. With a sigh, they grabbed some clean and comfortable clothes and made their way to the bathroom, the music still audible all the way from their room.

They took a pretty long shower, taking as much time as needed until they felt like the hot water properly washed off the "dirt" that seemed to cling on to their skin. Eventually, they seemed to feel okay and they were singing along to the Hozier song that played, so they turned off the water and got dressed in their loose fitting sweatpants and oversized sweater. They didn't wear their binder, nor a sports' bra, and being a little free of its constraints made them feel a little better.

They made their way to the kitchen while towel drying their hair and were ambushed by Aurum and Argentum instantly. With a little grin, they gave then each a small pat on the head and followed the smell of reheated Chinese take-out.

Reyna looked up from her computer screen and sent Thalia a small grin. "Hey! Feeling any better?"

Reyna's grin widened as Thalia nodded, walking straight toward the dumplings that were now on a plate. Reyna closed her laptop and reached over to grab her own meal. "Wanna watch something while we eat?"

"Mamma Mia..."

Reyna raised an eyebrow as she pushed her chair back and got up, walking over to the couch. "Mamma Mia?"

"Meryl Streep singing," Thalia explained simply, grabbing the rest of their food and following Reyna to the living room. They would give up listening to Bruno Major for a few hours of Meryl Streep singing ABBA Songs.

"Fair enough," Reyna laughed and went to grab the remote. Thalia went to turn their music off and joined Reyna on the couch again. They were sitting pretty close to each other, and in similar positions, their legs folded in front of them and their knees touching.

Reyna focused on the movie while Thalia focused on Reyna... mostly on the movie though. But Reyna was singing along, and she was pretty cute, trying to reach some of Amanda Seyfried's high notes and Thalia watched her in amusement while stuffing their face with food.

Once they had actually eaten something, their stomach seemed to settle a little. Reyna made them some hot chocolate after the movie was over and Thalia settled down on the couch, acoustic guitar in hand, trying to distract themselves with something they enjoyed. They didn't want to paint or have to express themselves through art. Honestly, they were scared they'd go through another downward spiral. Music seemed like the only good option to get their mind off things, and it seemed to work.

Reyna was working on her laptop again, taking the occasional sip of hot chocolate between every few words she typed. Thalia kept glancing up at her and sometimes they noticed her glance back. They knew she was listening to them and it made them a little happy.

"Hey, can you play Cherry Wine?"

Thalia glanced up from their spot to see that Reyna was still focusing on her computer screen. Thalia grinned and let out a soft chuckle, already moving the capo to the right fret.

"You're so gay, Rey!" Thalia teased her only for Reyna to give them the middle finger without even turning to look at them. With a soft laugh, Thalia started playing the notes and then they started singing the lyrics. They weren't nearly as good as the almighty lord and saviour Hozier, but they weren't bad.

Reyna had placed her laptop to the side and was watching them with a small smile on her face, mug in her hands. She hummed along near the end until the song was over and Thalia played the last note.

"You're welcome!" They exaggerated a bow and Reyna rolled her eyes but she was smiling brightly. "Doth milady have any other requests?"

"For you not to try a British accent and Shakespearean English ever again?"

Thalia threw their head back as they burst into laughter, not even insulted in the slightest bit. They also found their accent horrible and hilarious. Though they still had to offer a nice little "fuck you!"

Reyna laughed along, giving Thalia an unapologetic shrug and set her mug on the coffee table after taking a quick sip. Then, she held her hand out and made a "hand it over" gesture.

Thalia raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You play?"

"Like... half a song song."

"I definitely have to see this." With an excited grin, Thalia handed their guitar over to Reyna who took a second to adjust its position in her lap and trying to figure out where her fingers went. "What song is it?"

"This is the worst rendition of The Godfather theme you've ever heard." And with a quick clearing of her throat, Reyna began playing what was in fact, as described by none other than herself, the worst rendition of the theme song from the Godfather.

It was going pretty great until she forgot what came next and played every single note on the fretboard until it sounded right and Thalia was having a hard time holding in their laughter. They really appreciated her effort and they grinned really wide at her when she played the last note and clapped loudly.

Reyna got up to her feet, gave an extensive courtesy and handed Thalia back the guitar. "Thank you! Thank you! I'll be here all night!" And then, it became harder for Thalia to hold their laughter in so they didn't and instead cackled pretty loudly and Reyna laughed along as she flopped back into her seat.

"You're pretty talented, I'm not gonna lie," Thalia told her when their laughter had calmed down a little and Reyna winked playfully, trying to seem a little cocky. It didn't work, but the wink was still a little hot and Thalia moved their gaze back to their instrument. "You wanna learn another song?"

Reyna contemplated it for a second and then shrugged, "yeah, why not!"

Thalia handed her the guitar again and turned to face her so they could help her better. "What song do you have in mind?"

"Uhh... I suddenly forgot every single song I listen to," Reyna laughed, wrapping her fingers around the guitar's neck. Thalia chuckled, trying to think of songs themselves.

"Sweater Weather? It'll impress all the other bis, and most of the gays. Definitely all the sapphics," Thalia suggested and with a small laugh, Reyna agreed. So Thalia reached over and tried to teach her all the chords. It was pretty difficult getting her to move three fingers at the same time and strum down all six strings, so Thalia resorted to grabbing Reyna's fingers and placing each one of them individually and the right string and the right fret but even then, Reyna was pretty much a lost cause.

With a frustrated laugh, Thalia moved as close to Reyna as they could, their chest leaned against her back. They reached over the other side to grab her left hand and leaned their chin over her right shoulder to see the guitar better.

"I don't think this is going to work," Reyna chuckled, turning around to face Thalia, and Thalia realised their faces were much too close to each other.

"Okay, then you strum, and I'll play the chords!" They told her and with a little sigh, Reyna turned back around to look at the strings, dropping her left hand to her lap. The song was a little awkward but it worked, kind of.

Reyna turned around again to look at Thalia's face and they tried to keep their focus on the chords but with Reyna so close, it was hard. "Hey— focus!" Thalia playfully scolded her, trying to get her to turn back around. But she didn't.

"I am," Reyna murmured, her hand going still over the guitar strings.

Thalia's breath hitched in their throat as Reyna's hand reached over and gently brushed over their face, but it wasn't anything like they were feeling just a few hours earlier. And it was different as well when their heart rate started to accelerate as Reyna's face got even closer. And it when their stomach stirred with butterflies when Reyna's lips brushed over theirs, it was the good kind of butterflies and Thalia didn't want them to go away.

Their eyes fluttered shut as they moved their lips with Reyna's, kissing her back softly and slowly, and they couldn't remember ever kissing her with no rush and they liked it.

Reyna somehow managed to carefully set the guitar on the floor and turned around so that she was facing Thalia more comfortably and she kissed them again, just as slow, unhurried. Thalia leaned all the way back until they were lying down with their head against the arm of the couch and they pulled Reyna down with them. She fit right between Thalia's legs, her hands holding them by the waist and her lips following theirs.

Thalia parted their mouth just a little bit and Reyna teased their tongue with hers. They ran their hands down Reyna's back, settling on the small of her back, her skin bare where her t-shirt had ridden up just a little bit.

Thalia felt like they could melt right into Reyna's kiss. Her lips were soft and gentle against theirs, and her mouth tasted of hot chocolate, and they felt calm and relaxed. And when Reyna moved her mouth to their neck, giving them playful bites and tugging at their skin with her lips, Thalia grinned, their hands moving lower until they were holding Reyna's ass in her leggings.

Reyna smirked against Thalia's neck, grazing their skin with her teeth. She planted a kiss on the same spot before sitting up just a little, her legs straddling Thalia's thighs. "Do you want to do this?" Reyna asked softly, brushing her thumb over Thalia's bottom lip that was protruding with the lack of attention it was currently getting. Reyna's eyes were tender and she was worried about Thalia, but they didn't need to be worried about.

"Yes, I wanna make you feel good."

Reyna smiled, the top of her cheeks turning jug a little red. "What about you?"

"I'm okay knowing I gave you an amazing orgasm."

Reyna laughed and started leaning back down until they were nose-to-nose. "You always do," she murmured and pecked Thalia's lips quickly.

Before she could move to other places, Thalia grabbed her by the chin and kissed her again, this one much harsher than their kiss just a few moments earlier. Reyna hummed in approval, her hands moving up Thalia's sides and into their hair as she slipped her tongue past their parted lips, taking control.

Thalia let her have it for a few seconds, just enjoying their lips moving together, barely managing to keep their teeth out of the way. Then, they bit down playfully on Reyna's lower lip and pulled it between their teeth before releasing it with a little smirk. And before Reyna could even catch her breath, they pushed her back into a sitting position and moved to straddle her thighs, sitting in her lap. They went straight for her neck, sucking and nipping at the skin until it was red and soothing the spot with their tongue afterwards, gently lapping over it.

Reyna moaned softly in their ear, her head falling back, against the couch cushion, giving Thalia better access at her neck.

Thalia wasn't sure how this was working, keeping their dysphoria at bay, but they weren't complaining. Getting lost in _Reyna_ seemed like a very good plan. They weren't ready to receive anything in return yet, but that didn't stop them from wanting to help Reyna. Hearing Reyna make those beautiful noises probably gave them just as much pleasure as they were giving.

Thalia started moving their lips lower, down to Reyna's collarbone, really happy about the fact that she was wearing a v-neck. But even as that gave them better access to her chest, it still wasn't enough. They grabbed the hem of Reyna's shirt and with a silent nod from her, they proceeded to pull it over her head and throw it aside.

Thalia dipped their head down again, pressing open-mouthed kisses along Reyna's throat and all the way down her sternum until they were on their knees and their mouth was right over the waistband of her leggings. They smirked up at Reyna, running their palms up and down her thighs.

"You know... I don't think I've ever actually knelt for anyone before," Thalia laughed, grabbing onto Reyna's legs and slowly prying them apart.

"No one?" Reyna raised an eyebrow in surprise, brushing some loose strands of hair out of Thalia's face as they shook their head in response.

"Never really been on my knees, no," Thalia confirmed, tilting their head slightly as they thought about, looking up at Reyna with a little amused grin. "This should be interesting."

Reyna's eyes had darkened considerably, and her expression was a mixture of the usual lust that Thalia had grown accustomed to and something else... something they couldn't quite pinpoint, though, it wasn't unfamiliar exactly.

"You don't have to be on your knees if you're uncomfortable," Reyna murmured softly, brushing Thalia's hair back but they only brushed her off with a small wave of their hand.

"I'm not uncomfortable! I wanna do this," they reassured her, slowly trailing their fingertips up the side of her thighs. They reached her waistband and hooked their fingers under it snd her underwear. Reyna lifted herself off the couch just enough to let Thalia pull both items of clothing all the way do her ankles.

Thalia trailed their fingers up Reyna's bare legs to her knees and a little roughly pushed them back and spread them apart. They got a surprised " _oh_ ," from Reyna and then a little interested chuckle. Thalia glanced up at her with a little smirk and a not-so-subtle wink before disappearing between her thunder thighs.

Reyna's fingers immediately found their way to Thalia's hair, softly brushing through the tangles as Thalia pressed hot and wet open-mouthed kisses along the inside of her thigh. They could feel the goosebumps running along her legs. They ran their hands up and down Reyna's legs as their mouth moved closer to her sex until they were just above her clit.

Using just the tip of their tongue, they licked their way from the base all the way to the top, grabbing Reyna's legs with a firmer grip to keep her from squirming too much. They wanted to make Reyna feel good, but that didn't mean they couldn't tease her. Personally, they really enjoyed the teasing, especially when they were on the giving end of things.

"Oh, _fuck_ ," Reyna breathed out, letting out a shaky breath as Thalia blew cold air over the wet trail they had just left. "Don't— don't tease," she ordered through gritted teeth.

Thalia watched her in amusement, returning Reyna's small glare with a little lopsided grin, running their tongue along their parted lips. "As you wish," they chuckled and without another warning, they pushed their middle finger inside her.

Reyna took in a sharp breath, her eyes fluttering shut and Thalia let out a small laugh as they pulled their finger out and slowly thrusted it back in with a very satisfying sound.

"I love how I can make you _this fucking_ wet, even when I'm in my pyjamas."

Reyna pushed herself up on her elbows, raising an unamused eyebrow at Thalia. "Is that your way of talking dirty to me?"

Thalia shot Reyna their shit-eating grin, letting out another laugh. "What? You don't like it when I talk about my pyjamas?"

Reyna answered silently with a "what do you think?" look on her face so Thalia dropped their grin. They pulled their finger out, soaking wet, and ran it along the edges of Reyna's entrances, slowly, teasingly.

"Do you want me to fuck your soaking wet pussy 'till you're screaming?"

They spoke quietly but clearly, their voice considerably deeper and huskier, all the amusement gone from their face and Reyna's eyes widened just a little, and she nodded her head slowly.

"God, yes, _please_ ," Reyna whined, her breathing heavy and shaky.

Thalia chuckled, moving their finger further up and circling round Reyna's clitoris. "How polite," they murmured. "Good girl."

And before Reyna could react to that, they thrusted their finger back in, knuckle deep, and heard her soft moans. They started moving in and out, slowly at first, brushing the pad of their finger against the spongy surface of Reyna's walls. They pressed a trail of kisses against her thighs, occasionally using their teeth to bite and nibble playfully, peppering small, red marks all over her smooth skin.

" _Ai, joder,"_ Reyna sighed, leaning backward against the couch cushions. "More _, fuck_."

Thalia smirked against her inner thigh and inserted a second finger with their next thrust. Reyna moaned loudly, letting a string of curse words in Spanish which made Thalia's insides stir — Reyna speaking her language was incredibly sexy, especially when she was using it like a sailor.

Thalia started moving their lips closer, slowing down the pace of their fingers, until their mouth was brushing against Reyna's clit. Reyna's grip on their hair tightened as she let out a soft whine in pleasure which made the tugging just about a hundred times better.

They closed their mouth over her bud of nerves, using the tip of their tongue to flick it teasingly and move around it in a circle as their fingers started to push inside her again, into her tight walls, brushing over then in a come-hither gesture. Thalia's tongue started moving with their fingers, using a similar, slow pace.

Reyna's legs were squirming even more against the couch so Thalia pulled their fingers out and wrapped their hands around each of Reyna's legs, keeping them firmly in place. Their hands moved further up until they were at the very top of the back of Reyna's thighs, lifting her ass up in the air for easier access between her legs. Reyna used the opportunity to rest her legs over Thalia's shoulders, her heels digging into their back as Thalia's tongue pushed inside her and then licked their way back up to her clit, lapping over it with the flat of their tongue.

"Fuck, Thal, that feels so good," Reyna moaned, tugging harder on Thalia's hair, extracting a little grunt from them.

Thalia moved their hands lower, gripping Reyna's ass in their palms, massaging it with a gentle caress as their tongue kept working on her sex, alternating between the tip and the flat of their tongue when moving from her slit to her sensitive clit.

"You taste fucking amazing," Thalia praised her, taking in a second to take a deep breath. They grazed their teeth along her thigh as they dipped their head back down, sucking on her folds, making use of their lips this time as Reyna's moans became much, much louder.

Thalia playfully smacked Reyna's butt cheek, making sure it wouldn't sting too bad. Reyna did have a kinkier side to her, Thalia had found out, which was kind of perfect, because they did enjoy the occasional kinkier adventures. And hearing Reyna moan as their palm hit her bottom again was definitely like music to their ears.

As their hands massaged the now reddening skin to soothe it, Thalia's tongue started working deeper and faster and Reyna's eyes were shut tight, her mouth hanging open as she let out a series of really loud whimpers of pleasure with the occasional moan of Thalia's name, and big G's name, and Thalia liked to think that Reyna was comparing their power in bed to that of a god's.

They kept kneading Reyna's butt with one of their hands as their other fingers trailed their way back to her pussy, and slowly started making their way back to her entrance. Reyna was dripping wet and Thalia dived in, and Reyna's walls started clenching around their fingers. Her legs tightened around their side, and they knew Reyna was close.

They rested their hand flat against her abs, keeping her in place as they worked faster and deeper, helping Reyna reach her high.

"Fuck, I'm so close, Thalia—" Reyna cried out, her voice breaking with another moan, her back arching off the couch. "I'm gonna come."

"I know, baby," Thalia murmured softly, kissing her thigh. "Come for me."

They kept thrusting into her, their tongue sweeping over her clit, and Reyna's breathing was laboured and heavy and her moans turned into cries of pleasure as she finally fell over the edge, her walls clenching while she the climax wave pulsed through entire body. Her legs were shaking, her mouth fell open but no sound came out. Thalia kept moving their fingers, pressing soft kisses along her inner thigh until Reyna had finally come back down to reality.

They pulled their fingers out as Reyna slowly lowered her legs back down, her chest still heaving. Her eyes slowly fluttered open and she blinked at Thalia for a few seconds before offering a lazy grin.

"That was—"

"Heavenly, I know," Thalia cut her off with a wink. "You're welcome."

"Asshole," Reyna laughed, shoving Thalia's shoulder playfully. Thalia laughed along, pulling their fingers up to their mouth and sucking them clean as Reyna watched.

"I really do love the way you taste," Thalia with a little smirk as Reyna's ears turned a little pink. They kissed her thigh again and moved up her stomach and chest to her neck, until their lips were just beneath her ear and they pulled at her earlobe with their teeth playfully. "You should try it," they whispered.

Reyna pulled them over by their hair and crashed their lips together. Thalia laughed into their kiss, pushing their tongue past Reyna's parted lips. Thalia's hands rested on Reyna's sides, drawing circles on her skin with their thumbs as they kissed her senseless.

As they pulled away to catch their breath, they rested their forehead against Reyna's, eyes still closed. Their heart was hammering hard in their chest and their stomach was fluttering with butterflies— it was just the adrenaline from all they had just done. There was nothing else to it.

Thalia pushed themselves up to their feet, wincing a little as their knees hurt a little. They rubbed them with a little chuckle before stretching their limbs, their back cracking satisfyingly. Maybe that's why they've never been on their knees for anyone before.

Reyna joined them, pulling her legging back up and finding her shirt somewhere on the ground.

"I should go shower," Reyna mumbled, pointing a finger in the general direction of the bathroom.

"Okay, stinky," Thalia joked, stuffing their hands in the pockets of their pants. Reyna rolled her eyes, shoving Thalia's shoulder with hers as she walked past her toward the bathroom.

"Shut up."

With a little laugh, Thalia fell back against the couch, hands behind their head as they watched Reyna disappear. As the sound of the shower started, Thalia let out a heavy sigh, rubbing their eyes hard until they were seeing stars. And then, with another sigh, they got up and grabbed all the dirty dishes to take them to the kitchen. They washed their hands in the sink, distracting themselves with the dishes. They tidied up the living room next, stepping over the lazy, sleepy dogs to get the cushions back in order.

Then, they walked back to their room, guitar in hand and they hung it back on the wall in its rightful place and moved to tidy up their room as well. They even put away all their paintbrushes and paint tubes in their kit, playing some soft music in the background. But none of it was enough to get the image of Reyna's face out of their head, but it wasn't her face while they were knuckle-deep inside her. That, they would have understood easily. No, it was that look that Reyna gave them right before she kissed them when Thalia was sitting right behind her, arms around her as they played guitar. It was the way she had touched their face so softly, her eyes never leaving theirs, and the way her lips brushed so softly against theirs.

They wanted to get that image out of their head, but even as they slipped under their covers, hugging one of their pillows close, they couldn't stop thinking about her until they managed to fall asleep, hours later.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys! I'd like to thank you all so so much for a thousand hits!!! I didn't think this fic would get this much recognition but either way, thank you so much!! im so glad you're all enjoying this!! every single comment I get always makes me smile soooo :) thank you! I hope you're all doing great and enjoy this new chapter!  
> PS: the next few updates might be really slow because uni is kiiiillllliiing me rn :(

The first month of the new semester was basically hell. Thalia had a hybrid schedule, meaning some of their classes were on campus and others weren't. It was a little annoying and kind of confusing but it was nice to be able to sit in an actual classroom some days. At least they could focus a lot more than they ever could when they were sitting in front of their computer screen. That didn't mean they focused a lot, but at least they didn't have to pretend to have connection issues whenever they were asked a question because they had no idea what the professor was even talking about.

Their on-campus classes were all in the morning, so they always went to work right after, which they enjoyed quite a bit. Decorating ice cream cakes was rather therapeutic after a painful fifty minute class of a professor going on and on about some ancient greek sculpture. It especially sucked when they had to analyse a sculpture of the great greek god Zeus, who their own father was named after, and the sculpture was in the nude. Looking into that piece of marble's eyes, they realised it looked an awful lot like their dad, with his serious glaring eyes and prideful stance. Thalia wanted to gauge their eyes out.

They spent hours at the bakery until their shift was over in the evening. They usually went to hang out with Annabeth and Percy before going home at night.

As if on cue, as they were hanging up their apron, they got a text on their group chat with their best friends. They unlocked their phone and opened the chat to read the message Percy had sent.

_Seaweed Brain: skatepark?_

_Wise Girl: do i have to come /:_

_Pinecone Face: yes you do_

_Goat Boy: yes_

_Seaweed Brain: what they said_

_Wise Girl: fine_ 🙄

_Pinecone Face: i just got off my shift so ill just go home to get changed and meet u there_

_Seaweed Brain: awesome_

_Seaweed Brain: we'll be there in like 20 mins_

Thalia shoved their phone back in their pocket and grabbed their helmet and leather jacket and slipped over their t-shirt. They flung their backpack over their shoulders and stepped outside where they found their bike parked outside, pulling the helmet over their head as they settled over the seat in one quick and smooth motion. The engine roared to life and Thalia leaned forward, grabbing tightly onto the handles and pulling out of the parking lot.

They don't always drive their bike around the city, mostly because driving around New York is hell, but they loved it, even when they got stuck in traffic and had to hold up the weight of the bike with just their feet for quite some time. Thankfully, they didn't live too far away from the bakery they worked at so they got home pretty fast.

They parked the bike in the driveway, making sure to lock and secure it before making their way up the stairs to their apartment (the elevators always seemed to be fricken broken). They unlocked the door, immediately being met by an overly excited greyhound.

With a little laugh, they kicked the door closed behind them and bent down to Argentum's level, giving him a rough scratch right behind the ears and a kiss on his forehead.

"Hey, Arg, how's it going?"

The dog responded with a lick to their face and Thalia grimaced, laughing in disgust as they got back up to their feet. They wiped the drool off their face with their sleeve, kicking their boots off by the door. They dropped their backpack and helmet off in the corner next, hung their jacket up on the rack behind the door, and started making their way toward their room.

 _"Honey, I'm home!"_ They called out jokingly, trying to locate their roommate.

There was no immediate response, though they knew Reyna was home since her jacket was hanging on the back of the front door.

They stepped into the bathroom first, washing their hands and their face to freshen up a little and tossed their dirty clothes in the hamper. They slipped into their bedroom next, walking over to their closet to pick some more comfortable clothes. They were in the process of slipping into a hoodie when they heard Reyna's footsteps walking down the hall.

"Hey, I got cof— dude, you could close the door when you're half naked!"

Thalia turned around, a sheepish grin on their face as the hoodie fell into place. They shook the sleeves a little and adjusted the hood for more comfort as Reyna looked at the wall right behind them.

"Nothing you haven't seen before," they replied with a small chuckle, pulling out a pair of comfortable shorts.

"Right, well, still... I feel like I'm intruding," Reyna said, clearing her throat as her eyes were still fixed on the wall.

Thalia smiled, pulling up the shorts to their waist and letting go of the waistband with a small _pop_ to indicate to Reyna that they were finally decent. "I don't mind," they told her, though they did appreciate her take on boundaries.

Reyna finally turned to look at Thalia, holding a cup of iced coffee in each one of her hands. She held one out to Thalia. "Got coffee. Yours has caramel, just the way you like it."

Thalia smiled appreciatively, grabbing the cup of cold brew from Reyna's hand. "Thanks, that's like the third time this week though. Not that I'm complaining." Thalia chuckled, taking a small sip from their drink.

Reyna shrugged, leaning her shoulder against the doorframe and watching Thalia as they moved to their closet to grab their sneakers. "It's just coffee," she mumbled before changing the subject. "You going somewhere?"

Thalia nodded, placing the coffee on their desk and sitting down at the edge of their bed to slip on their shoes. "Skating," they explained as they tied their shoelaces, making sure to double-knot them. "You wanna come?"

Reyna seemed to think about it for a moment, then she shook her head. "I've got homework."

"It's Friday. You don't have to study on Fridays," Thalia rolled their eyes, moving to tie the second pair of laces.

"I don't know how to skateboard," Reyna retorted, which really wasn't a good excuse.

Thalia got up, walked over to the corner of the room where their skateboard was leaning against the wall and grabbed it. "I'll teach you," they countered, as though it was the simplest solution in the world. And it was.

"I don't even own a skateboard!" Reyna exclaimed and Thalia just shrugged, grabbing their cup of coffee and taking a long sip.

"Percy's got plenty, I can have him grab a second," Thalia said once they had swallowed the cold coffee. "No more excuses! You're coming!"

Reyna hesitated for a moment before finally sighing and dropping her hands to her side in defeat. "Fine... I'm not skating though. I'll just watch."

Thalia smirked amusedly, pushing past Reyna and into the hall. "Suit yourself."

 _"_ Let me just change," Reyna mumbled and dashed to her room. With a small chuckle, Thalia waited in the hallway, using that time to text Percy and ask him to grab a second skateboard, just in case.

_Pinecone Face: Reyna's coming_  
_Pinecone Face: percy get a second a board w u_  
_Pinecone Face: percy_  
_Pinecone Face: PERCY JACKSON_  
_Pinecone Face: PERSEUS_  
_Pinecone Face: IDIOT_

_Seaweed Brain: OKAY STOP SPAMMING ME JESUS CHRIST_

_Pinecone Face: :) thanks_

_"_ Okay, I'm ready."

Thalia looked up from their phone to find Reyna dressed comfortably in a pair of jeans and a purple hoodie, her backpack slung over her shoulder. Thalia knew it was filled with textbooks.

With a roll of their eyes, they slipped their phone into their pocket and started toward the front door. Reyna stopped to kiss each of her dogs before closing the door behind them and following Thalia to the stairs, masks covering their faces.

"So, what's with all this extra coffee?" Thalia asked as they descended the stairs to the subway station.

"Just coffee," Reyna answered without looking at them, getting her metro card out. Thalia followed her actions, pulling the card out from their wallet.

"It's more than just coffee," Thalia pointed out, swiping their card and walking through the gate first.

"It's not!" Reyna exclaimed defensively as she joined them on the platform, looking up at the screen to see how long they had to wait for their train to arrive. **1 min**.

Thalia scoffed, dropping the skateboard to their feet and using their now free hand to steal Reyna's cup of coffee from her hand. They took a look at it, searching for the barista's handwriting until they found it.

" _Have a nice day, Reyna, smiley face, x x,"_ Thalia read out the message on the back of the cup, a little teasing smirk on their face, completely ignoring the little flip their stomach did because that was totally due to the gust of wind that pushed through them as the train approached.

"Give me that!" Reyna reached over and forcefully grabbed her cup back. "It's literally just someone being kind."

Thalia laughed again, shaking their head. "It's really not. That barista's clearly flirting with you, Rey."

"No, they're not. And don't call me Rey," Reyna huffed, gripping the strap of her backpack with her free hand and stomping onto the train as the doors opened.

Thalia grabbed their skateboard and ran after her. There were a couple of empty seats but Thalia remained standing to keep an acceptable distance in the tight space, though they were still standing pretty close to Reyna. They leaned their back against the railing, skateboard in one hand, coffee in the other, while Reyna held on to the railing just over their head, completely ignoring them.

Thalia glanced over at Reyna, watching her face closely and noticing how her cheeks had turned slightly rosier. They raised an eyebrow, the doors closing and the train started moving forward. Thalia sunk their heels into the group to keep their balance.

"And you're flirting back, aren't you?"

Reyna turned to glance at them, glaring heavily. "I am not!"

"You really like that person," Thalia pointed out, giving Reyna a little smile. It felt a little too forced. "What's their name?"

Reyna ignored Thalia until the train came to a stop for the first time. "Alex," Reyna finally answered just as the train lurched forward again. "We've been texting a little this past week," she admitted, glancing up at the map on the train's wall.

Thalia watched Reyna carefully, their smile faltering just a little. "Oh? How's that going?" Thalia hoped Reyna didn't hear the slight crack in their voice. They cleared their throat, hoping they could pass it off as a cough.

"Pretty good, actually." Reyna didn't give any more information than that, and Thalia didn't ask. For selfish reasons that they buried deep down inside.

Their stop was next and the walk toward the skatepark was pretty much quiet, with the occasional small talk.

They found Percy, Grover, and Annabeth waiting next to the entrance. Percy had his arms around Annabeth's waist as they were both trying to keep their balance on a single board. Ugh, cute heteroes. Thalia hated them.

"Sup, bitches?" Thalia greeted them, holding up the peace sign with their free hand.

"Do you have to be so vulgar?" Reyna muttered with a roll of her eyes, chewing on the straw in her cup.

"Thought you would have been used to it by now," Annabeth chuckled, stepping off Percy's skateboard to stand next to Thalia.

Percy grinned crookedly, wiggling his eyebrows at them. "Yeah, especially since you guys are..." his eyebrows wiggled even more suggestively, his grin widening.

Reyna turned to face Thalia, eyes wide for a second before her gaze turned into a deadly glare. "You told them?" She exclaimed in disbelief, throwing her hands up in the air.

Thalia held their hands up in defensively, smiling a little sheepishly at Reyna. They were almost cowering in fear for their life with the look that was on her face. "First of all," they started, holding up their pointer finger. "I didn't know we were keeping it a secret. And second of all," they added a second finger. "I didn't have to tell Annabeth, she just knows these things. It's creepy."

Reyna quietly glared at everyone, making Percy and Grover especially nervous.

"If it's any consolation, I have no idea what's going on," Grover offered, adjusting the beanie that was covering his curls.

"Dude, they're obviously boinking," Percy spelled it out, smacking Grover's shoulder playfully.

Thalia buried their face in their hands as Reyna sighed heavily, running her hand down the side of her face. "Boinking? What are you, twelve?" Thalia snapped at him and Percy just grinned unapologetically, shrugging his shoulders.

"Dude, sometimes, you just gotta learn to shut up," Grover sighed, grabbing Percy by the shoulder and pulling him toward the ramps.

Annabeth let out a small chuckle, folding her arms over her chest. "How was class?" Annabeth casually changed the subject as they followed the guys in the park.

Thalia grimaced, throwing their now empty cup of coffee in the nearest recycling bin. They placed their skateboard on the ground and started rolling around at a leisurely pace, matching Annabeth's and Reyna's. "Horrible. Guess what greek god's balls I had to look at for fifty minutes?"

"Zeus?" Annabeth guessed with a little wince. Thalia shook their head and she looked a little bit relieved for a second.

"Apollo," Thalia grunted, gagging as they were remembering the giant sculpture.

"Oh, no," Annabeth shared their horror, shivering in disgust.

"What do you have against Greek art?" Reyna asked, glancing sideways at Thalia and Annabeth, hands in her pockets.

"It's not the art itself," Thalia started explaining. "It's, well— my family's Greek, and according to dad, our ancestors believed we were related to the gods. So, they've always had this thing for greek names, especially famous ones. To sum up, my dad was named after Zeus and my older siblings were named after the twin gods."

"That's... Artemis and Apollo, right?"

"Bingo," Thalia grumbled, still trying to get the image of the butt naked greek god of the sun.

"Okay, yeah, I think I understand where you're coming from," Reyna laughed. Annabeth moved to sit down on the side benches. Thalia placed their backpack on the empty next to her while Reyna sat down on the other end. "Thalia's not a Greek name, though, is it?"

"It is, actually," Thalia corrected her, chuckling a little as they swayed on their board in place, easily keeping their balance on it. "Thalia was one of the nine muses. Zeus was also her father."

Reyna raised an eyebrow, both surprised and impressed. "Hey! You know some cool facts!"

Thalia was a little taken aback by that sarcastic comment, but they were too shocked to be wounded by the subtle insult. "What— hey, you guys aren't the only smart ones around here. You're the only nerds."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "You say nerd, I say future greatest architect the world has ever seen and... lawyer, right?"

Reyna nodded in confirmation.

"Whatever, nerds!" Thalia childishly stuck their tongue out at them making the two girls laugh at their ultimate defeat.

"I wasn't going to mention this but," Annabeth started, trying hard to contain her laughter as she pulled out her tablet from her bag and typed in her password. "Some sources say that the eighth muse, AKA Thalia, goddess of comedy and poetry, had children with the god of—"

Realisation slowly started to dawn on Thalia as Annabeth kept talking and their eyes widened to the size of oranges in horror as Annabeth finished her sentence. "No... please don't finish whatever you're saying..."

"Music, poetry, healing, and you know, the sun."

"So, Apollo?" Reyna spelled it out with a little amused grin on her face, her eyes jumping from Annabeth to Thalia.

"Fuck you. Gosh, did you really have to finish that sentence?" Thalia cried out, pulling at the ends of their hair as they felt their skin crawl. "You two are horrible. Absolutely fucking insane."

Thalia flipped them off and turned around, skating as fast as their feet allowed them to the ramp where they had spotted Percy and Grover trying to jump over, completely aware of the way Annabeth and Reyna had burst out laughing as they had turned around.

At least it was nice to know that Annabeth and Reyna got along, even if it was through making their life hell.

Thalia, Percy, and Grover spent the next hour or so skating around the park, doing a bunch of kick-flips, slides and grinds on rails and ledges, even a few ramp tricks while Annabeth and Reyna had their noses planted in their school work, well behind face masks. Though, Thalia did notice that they were having a conversation that seemed to be going well. They could see their shoulders shake with laughter, and occasionally watching what their friends were doing.

It seemed as though every single time Reyna looked up from her work or conversation with Annabeth to see what Thalia was doing, their skating tricks refused to work. They almost tripped and face-planted a couple of times.

"Snack break," Grover announced after successfully landing an flip.

Thalia chuckled, skating after him toward the bench where the girls were sitting. "You brought snacks?"

"Always," Grover responded in a _duh_ tone. He grabbed his backpack, pulled out a bag of chips, and started scarfing it down.

Thalia chuckled again and turned to look at Reyna who was too focused on something in her book. They leaned over, trying to read the words, but from their angle and with the small printing, it was nearly impossible to decipher any words with their dyslexia.

They shoved their hand in Reyna's field of vision.

"Hey—" Reyna grumbled, swatting their hand away. "Can I help you?" She demanded impatiently, looking up at Thalia's face.

Thalia pulled one of the straps from behind their ear so that Reyna could see their grin. "I made Percy get an extra skateboard. You're gonna use it!"

As if on cue, Percy came to a halt right next to Thalia. He leaned his elbow on their shoulder, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly.

"It's cool. Wasn't really any trouble," he said, making Thalia roll their eyes. They kind of wanted to teach Reyna how to at least stand on a skateboard.

"C'mon, I can save you from boring conversations with Barbie," Thalia smirked teasingly in Annabeth's direction. They knew Annabeth hated any jokes concerning her blonde hair that usually made people not want to take her seriously at first glance. But they didn't expect the kick to their shin. Thalia's leg buckled and they fell backward, their board rolling behind them as they caught themselves on their feet at the last second.

They doubled over as the pain in their shin started spreading, almost blinding them. "Fuck, okay, I deserve that," they grunted, taking in a sharp breath. What the hell were Annabeth's shoes made of?

"Yeah, you did," Annabeth shot back with a tight smile, her gray eyes frighteningly angry.

Percy doubled over in laughter, his hand coming down on Thalia's back, patting it in sync with his laughter. "You had it coming it, Thal."

"Mhm," they hummed, barely managing to find their voice.

Thalia looked up while they were still rubbing the sore spot on their shin and met Reyna's eyes, looking at them with a small grin as though she was watching an entertaining movie.

"I was actually enjoying our conversation," Reyna said, giving Annabeth more reason to look smug.

"Oh, yeah? What were you talking about?" Thalia huffed out a breath, stretching their leg before them. Man, that was going to leave a nasty bruise. They turned around while chewing on the inside of their cheek, trying to locate their skateboard after it had rolled away.

"If you must know, we were betting on how many times each one of you was going to face plant," Annabeth answered with a little grin which offended Percy greatly. 

"Hey! I have never face-planted! Not once!" He defended himself, a deep pout covering his face.

Thalia snorted, giving him a look of utter disbelief because they knew how big of a lie that was. "Dude, you were practically making out with the floor just last week!"

Percy gasped, putting a hand over his heart, rubbing an invisible wound. "Because you pushed me!"

Grover let out a small laugh. "And it was hilarious."

"Dude, you're supposed to be on my side," Percy muttered, pouting at his best friend.

Grover smiled sheepishly, stuffing his mouth with a handful of chips. "Sorry," he mumbled with a mouthful, chewing loudly with a harsh crunch.

Thalia turned to face Reyna and Annabeth again. "Who lost the bet?"

"No one, yet," Reyna replied, closing her book. Thalia raised an eyebrow questioningly, a little hopeful that it was a sign she was done reading for now. "I guess it wouldn't really hurt to try to learn how to stand on a skateboard."

Thalia grinned widely, completely forgetting the pain in their leg.

"It's a longboard, actually," Percy corrected, sliding it over in front of Reyna.

Reyna placed her things next to her on the bench and stood up next to Thalia, eyeing the longboard uncomfortably. "I'm not gonna face-plant, am I?"

"Only if I can help it," Thalia replied with a shit-eating grin. Reyna ignore them, as expected, and pushed past them after grabbing the longboard and walking toward a less crowded skating area. There weren't too many people around anyway, with the pandemic and everything, but it was probably a good idea to remain as far away from people as possible.

Thalia followed after Reyna, stopping a couple of feet away from some kids trying to do kick-flips. Reyna was watching one of the kids when he tumbled forward and crash landed on his butt. She winced a lot more than the kid did as he picked himself back up.

"Don't worry, there won't be any falling for you today," Thalia tried to reassure her, though Reyna only looked slightly more relieved. "Probably," they added, erasing all relief from Reyna's face.

"I just really don't wanna wake up with new bruises," Reyna said, placing a tentative foot on the board and rolling it from side to side.

Thalia smirked a little, crossing their arms over their chest. "But the one on your collarbone might be lonely!"

Reyna narrowed her eyes at them. "There are thirteen year olds less than ten feet away from you."

Thalia shrugged, stepping on their board to tower even more over Reyna, the grin still playing on their lips. "They probably know more about hickeys than we do."

Reyna let out a heavy sigh, bringing her foot back to her side. "Probably not," she murmured, making Thalia let out a loud chuckle.

"Yeah, you're probably right. Anyway!" They clapped their hands, rubbing them together excitedly. "So, first thing you wanna do is make sure you're standing on the board properly so that you don't lose balance and face plant, or butt-plant, or whatever-plant that you don't want happening."

Reyna nodded, turning her gaze down to the board and then back up to Thalia's. "How do I do that?"

"Just watch me." Thalia stepped off their board and then back on again, balancing perfectly on it. "Pretty simple."

Reyna watched Thalia's feet and then back at her own. She placed her right foot on the board, mimicking Thalia's, and then started to remove her left foot for a second before planting it back firmly against the concrete floor. "I really don't wanna fall."

"You're not gonna," Thalia laughed softly. "Have a little more faith in yourself." They knew for a fact how great Reyna's balance was... man, she really had great balance... And then they added, "and me," with a little cheeky grin. "Just hold on to my shoulders if you want."

Reyna hesitated for a moment before finally placing her hands on Thalia's shoulders carefully. Placing a little pressure on their shoulders, Reyna pushed herself off the ground, now placing both her feet on the longboard. She wobbled for a second but quickly found her balance, though she never let go of Thalia.

"Okay! See? I told you, you got it." Thalia laughed, grinning widely at Reyna. "Just make sure your feet are like, parallel, to the screws so the board doesn't like topple over or something."

Reyna moved her feet so they were angled as Thalia instructed. "Okay... now what?"

"We roll!" Thalia exclaimed excitedly. They placed their right foot on the ground and gave a tiny push, sending them both rolling ahead at a very slow speed.

They went on for a few minutes, rolling slowly around the empty side of the park until Reyna was comfortable enough to push her own board. Thalia kept giving her small tips to keep the momentum going and stay up though Reyna seemed to be doing just fine, watching Thalia and imitating their actions.

"How do we turn?" Reyna asked when they reached a dead end and Thalia showed her, a couple of times, explaining how she had to shift her weight, flexing her knees a little so that she was a little closer to the ground and rotating her ankles in the direction she wanted to turn to.

It took Reyna a couple of tries with awkward stops until she got it, but then she did and she was grinning a little excitedly. Thalia hadn't noticed at first but they were beaming from ear to ear as they watched Reyna get the hang of it, a little impressed.

"You're a natural," Thalia told her, holding their first out expectantly. Reyna rolled her eyes but bumped her fist with theirs anyway, looking at them with amusement.

"I'm not gonna lie, I'm a little impressed with myself," Reyna laughed, giving herself another push to keep the board sliding.

"Yeah? You should be," Thalia chuckled, coming to a halt when they reached their friends again. "Wanna learn your first trick?"

"I don't think I'm ready for that just yet," Reyna replied with a little shake of her head.

"Alright, suit yourself," Thalia sighed, though, they still wanted to tempt her, so they popped their board up just a little as they started to move again, bringing their knees up to their chest as the board twisted in the air and landing back on it steadily.

"Show off!" Annabeth called out from her seat on the bench. Thalia flipped her off quickly, giving her a little smirk.

Reyna laughed a little, stepping onto the longboard again. "Yeah, you can stop showing off. I am not doing that."

Thalia pouted a little but then just shrugged their shoulders. "Lame. But, fine," they sighed dramatically. They jumped off their board and Reyna raised her eyebrows questioningly, probably thinking that Thalia was done skateboarding but instead, Thalia walked over to her and took her by surprise as they jumped up on the longboard, grabbing onto Reyna's shoulders for support and sending them forward.

Reyna let out a small yelp in surprise, holding on to Thalia's arms tightly, trying to stay up on her feet. "What are you doing?" She shrieked and Thalia only laughed, smirking mischievously.

"Being annoying."

"Well, I'm glad you're aware— careful! You're gonna— Thalia—" Reyna was looking around frantically as the board started rolling a little faster, trying to avoid running into people or poles. But Thalia knew what they were doing... kind of.

Thalia grinned widely dropping their hands to Reyna's sides for a more comfortable grip, standing incredibly close to her to avoid falling backwards. Reyna glanced up to meet Thalia's gaze, her dark eyes incredibly wide and alert.

"Will you relax?" Thalia laughed, giving them another push forward with their back leg. "You're so tense, Rey."

"Can you blame me?" Reyna exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air but regretting it instantly as she almost lost her balance and went to grab onto Thalia's arms again, right by their wrists.

Thalia smiled amusedly, turning them around to go back. Reyna's grip tightened even more, pushing herself closer to Thalia.

Thalia came to a halt right by their friends again and Reyna stepped off hurriedly, happy to be standing on solid ground again. Although, she could have jumped off at any other given moment, Thalia wasn't riding too fast. Reyna was always confusing, anyway.

"That was dumb."

Thalia grinned at Reyna as they stepped off the longboard and flopped down beside Annabeth. "Dumb... but fun!"

Reyna didn't answer. She shook her head and pulled her phone out from her pocket as it had started ringing.

"Oooh, is that your secret admirer?" Thalia joked, trying to sneak a look at the caller ID.

"Shut up," Reyna muttered as she answered the call, though Thalia had come to know her pretty well, and the look on her face was all they needed to know that it was in fact that barista that seemed to like her so much. They couldn't blame them. If they were Reyna's barista, they'd like her too.

Reyna walked further away, her back turned to them to have a little more privacy.

Thalia sighed, leaning back in their seat and pulling their own phone out from the pocket of their hoodie except they felt a pair of eyes burning through their skull. They slowly looked up, only to find Annabeth staring at them intensely. They noticed Grover and Percy standing to the side next to the pipes, trying to learn a new skateboarding trick and butchering it completely. It looked like one of them was going to return with a broken limb.

"What?" They demanded, turning to glare at Annabeth.

"What was that all about?"

Thalia furrowed their eyebrows in confusion. "What?"

"Percy and I don't even hold each other like that," Annabeth said which only confused Thalia even more. What was she on about? They just gave her another frown and Annabeth rolled her eyes, sighing exasperatedly. "There was like no air between you two on that skateboard, you were standing so close to each other," she explained. Ah... well.

Thalia shrugged. "Yeah, there's barely any room for two people on a skateboard," they chuckled like that wasn't so obvious.

"Uhu... okay. So, why did you jump on there?" Annabeth questioned, practically interrogating them.

"What's with all the questions? Jeez, I'm just being the annoying friend that I am."

"Thal..." Annabeth's gaze softened a little. She took a glance at Reyna a few feet away from them, still talking in the phone, and Thalia followed her gaze, noticing that Reyna was smiling widely, a little blush on her cheeks. Alex the Barista must have been pretty good with their words. "So, she's seeing someone then?"

Thalia shrugged, turning back around to face the front, watching the group of kids from earlier trying to slide against a ramp. "I don't know. I guess they've been texting for the past week, and calling each other, apparently. Alex the Barista... She's also been getting a lot more coffee than usual, so..."

Annabeth's eyes turned a little sympathetic which Thalia didn't understand. They were fine with it. Really, pretty apathetic about it all. "But you're still... you know?"

"Sure, occasionally," Thalia replied, running a hand through their hair as they recalled the last time they hooked up with Reyna. Three days ago, toys were involved, and it was just... well... interesting. And mind blowing as fuck. Thalia preferred to keep it at that.

"And now you're thinking about it. Great," Annabeth's face turned a little sour with a grimace. Thalia grinned sheepishly, brushing their hand back again. "You haven't been out with anyone for a while, have you?"

Thalia shook their head no. "Eh, I'm not in the mood for all that awkward, early-dating stage, or a random hookup with someone I probably won't ever talk to again."

Annabeth looked at them with an unreadable expression on her face. She looked like she wanted to say something but then decided against it. Instead, she gave Thalia a small smile and wrapped het arm  
around their shoulder. "Long as you're happy," she told them, giving their shoulder a comforting squeeze. "Are you?"

Thalia smiled at Annabeth, nodding their head. "Yeah, 'course."

Annabeth returned their smile, opening her mouth to respond when Percy came rolling over.

"Thals, you wanna go for another round on the ramps?"

Thalia looked over their shoulder, seeing Reyna still on the phone, a laugh on her face. They turn about around with a little smile and nodded at Percy. "Sounds good."

"Cool!" Percy gave Annabeth a quick peck on the cheek before skating back over to the half-pipe where Grover was waiting.

With a little sigh, Thalia got up and skated over to their friends.

The train ride back home was pretty quiet, though it was more pleasant than awkward. But as soon as they got home, Thalia snuck up to the roof to have a smoke and spent some time just watching the sky turn from pink to purple to navy blue, to pitch black. They sat there for a couple of hours, looking up at the moon, and never once at the ground many stories under them — they still had a deadly fear of heights.

They spent quite a lot of time on the roof for the next few days. They found solace in the stillness of the night and the chaos of the day. It was especially nice when the old lady in the building opposite theirs sat on her roof, watering plants and feeding the birds. Sometimes, they even saw her on her balcony a few floors below, watering the plants she had there. Thalia always waved at her with a wide grin on their face and she always waved back.

On Sunday evening, Thalia found themselves sketching on the roof. It was always nice up there, and the New York skyline was gorgeous. They could get a live reference to the scenery and draw it perfectly. They finished the outline of their sketch but the picture still looked empty. It needed colours. Maybe some watercolours.

They grabbed their sketchbook and pencil and headed back down the fire escape until they reached their bedroom window. Argentum was waiting for them on their bed and his tail started wagging as soon as he spotted them jumping through the window.

"Hey, buddy," Thalia smiled at the dog, kissing the top of his head. "Where's your brother?" Aurum was nowhere to be seen but he just must have been hanging around Reyna.

They went around their room, trying to find their watercolour palette. They searched through their drawers and the rest of their art supplies but they couldn't seem to find them. With a frustrated groan, they headed to the living room, searching through all the drawers and cabinets just in case. They only found Aurum, snoozing soundly in his bed.

The watercolours were nowhere to be seen. They even checked the kitchen, but all they found was leftover Chinese food that did not look edible. Yekh... they threw those away with a wrinkle of their nose, making a mental note to order food once they found their paints, or once they gave up on searching.

With another frustrated groan, they headed over to Reyna's room, hoping she might have seen them somewhere. There was music coming from behind her door so Thalia figured Reyna must have been studying. They knocked on the door twice before pushing it open.

"Hey, Rey, have you seen my waterc— GAH ASS—"

Thalia covered their eyes instantly, turning around to face away from the bare butt cheeks that were staring right at them.

"I just saw an ass that's not your ass..." They exclaimed, a little horrified as the image refused to be erased from their mind.

They heard a little scrambling from behind them but they refused to turn around and see what was going on.

"You _did_ barge in here," a deep voice spoke up. A dude. Great.

"Alex the Barista?" They asked, their voice just a tiny bit squeakier which made them even more embarrassed.

"Just Alex," the guy laughed. "You can turn around."

"No, thank you. I'm good. I don't want to see any floppy penises."

Reyna was the one speaking this time. "There are no floppy penises in sight, Thals."

They winced a little at the nickname. Still covering their eyes, they slowly turned around, peeking through their fingers to make sure everyone was decent. Reyna was in her bra and Alex the Barista was shirtless, but his bottom was now covered with the blankets, thankfully.

"Sorry, I just— I'm gonna go. I'm sorry, I should've waited after knocking. Sorry..." Thalia rambled, ruffling their hair awkwardly.

"No, it's okay. I didn't know you were home. You didn't answer when I called," Reyna explained, watching Thalia closely. They couldn't decipher her expression, but whatever it was, Thalia didn't care to know. They wanted to get our of there as fast as possible.

"I was on the roof..." they mumbled in response.

"Oh, right..."

They glanced over at Alex the Barista who was awkwardly scratching the back of his neck, staring at Reyna and then at Thalia, and then at Reyna again, and then the two hounds that were now standing behind Thalia.

"I'm gonna— going out to see Annabeth, or something. I'll just—" they decided to shut up to keep what was left of their dignity and walked back out into the hall. They closed the door behind them but not before hearing Reyna call out their name which they completely ignored and did the only logical thing they could think of in that situation. They grabbed their keys, slipped into their shoes, and bolted out the door, helmet in hand.

They got on their bike and it wasn't until they were on the highway that they realised they had no destination in mind nor any of their belongings with them. But they did realise that they were driving in the direction of their house. They kept going until they were halting in front of the giant automatic gate. They punched in the code and zoomed past the parted gates, parking right outside the Mansion's front steps.

Thalia snuck round the back, hoping they could avoid any unpleasantries, basically running into their stepmom. They still had their set of keys and used them to unlock the backdoor,  
coming in through the kitchen.

They set their helmet on the counter, and walked straight to the basement where they were sure Jason must have been hanging out, given the fact that they could hear the really loud screaming of the scrawny latino boy, Leo Valdez.

They weren't so lucky of course. As they were rounding the corner to get to the stairs, they almost ran straight into their father.

"Oh, Thalia? What are you doing here?" He asked them, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion as a frown settled on his face.

"A "hey," would be nice, dad," they rolled their eyes, taking a step back so they could look at him better.

Thalia was considerably tall. At 5'10, they towered over a lot of people. Their dad though, towered over everyone. He was 6'7 and quite scary, even when he didn't want to be. The beard never helped.

Zeus already looked uncomfortable, rubbing his beard with his fingers. "You really shouldn't be walking around in those muddy boots. You know how Hera gets about these things."

"Right, I'll take them off in the basement," they snapped, honestly not giving a damn about getting mud all over Hera's precious Persian rugs.

Zeus gave them a sharp nod and managed a tight smile. "Do you need anything, kid?" He asked them and Thalia could read the words he didn't say out loud: _do you need any money?_ Because that was all he knew how to discuss.

"Nope, everything's great, dad. Just came to check on Jason," they reassured him with an even tighter smile.

"I'll be in my office, then," he told them, giving their shoulder a small squeeze before leaving.

Thalia stood there for a second, taking in all the awkwardness left in the room, and then, with a little grimace, they continued to the stairs again, going down pretty fast until they reached the basement.

They found Jason sitting on the floor next to Piper and Leo, playing an intense game of Smash Bros on the large flatscreen.

"Sup, nerds!" They greeted the teenagers with a little smirk. They walked over to Jason to ruffle his hair the way they knew he always hated, making him turn around in surprise, only him to yell out a scream of curse words as Piper and Leo ganged up on him and punched his character to oblivion.

"FUUUUCK!" He cried out, throwing his controller on the couch and pulling at his hair in frustration. "You made me lose!"

Thalia gave him an unapologetic grin and a small laugh. "Sorry, dude."

"What are you doing here?" He asked while scrambling up to his feet and dusting off his pants.

Thalia shrugged their shoulders, reaching past their brother to steal a potato chip from the bowl that was on the coffee table. "Just came to say Hi. The city was getting kinda boring."

Jason raised his eyebrows, folding his arms across his chest. "So, you drove for thirty minutes just to spend time in this town with the most boring rich people in the world?"

"Hey, I'm not boring!" Leo exclaimed, looking up for a second from his game before returning to it.

"You're not rich either, buddy," Piper teased him, making Thalia smirk a little. They really likes Jason's girlfriend.

"And yet we all ended up in the same fricken boring school," Leo shot back. "Take that!" He exclaimed, shooting Piper's avatar with flames.

Thalia chuckled, moving to sit on the couch, placing the bowl of chips in their lap. "Yeah, I missed your skinny ass."

"Hey— my ass is not skinny! I've been doing my squats, okay?" Jason defended himself, flopping down next to them.

"Yeah, he has," Piper murmured making Thalia let out a snort.

When did sixteen-year-olds become fun?

"So, what are you doing here? Real reason." Jason asked again, giving his sibling a pointed look.

Thalia shrugged their shoulders, stuffing their mouth with a handful of chips. "No'in," they replied while chewing loudly and obnoxiously.

Jason grimaced in disgust, throwing a pillow in their face. "That's disgusting."

"Your face is disgusting!" They retaliated like the five-year-old that they were.

"Oh, you got me there!" Jason snapped sarcastically and Thalia gave him a grin that only made him cringe in response. They still had chips in their mouth.

They laughed quietly to themselves as they chewed like a normal person this time and swallowed their food.

"Okay, real reason. Just had to get out of that apartment. It was getting pretty stuffy," Thalia told him, hoping it'd get him off their back. They weren't technically lying, anyway.

Jason studied their face for a second, trying to figure out if they were telling him the while truth. "If I didn't know you any better, I'd say you were running away from your roommate. But you're a confrontational person... until things get too complicated... so..."

Thalia felt a little uncomfortable under their brother's scrutiny, shifting in their seat and putting their feet up on the couch. Then, they remembered they were still wearing their boots, so they tried to avoid Jason's gaze by taking their time to untie their laces and kick off their shoes.

"Things aren't complicated. I'm not running away. Reyna's got someone over so I thought I'd give them privacy like the considerate roommate that I am," Thalia explained, throwing their shoes, one at a time, near the staircase. They clattered against the hardwood floor with two loud bangs.

"Oh," Jason said in surprise. "Why didn't you just go hang out with Percy and Annabeth? Or you know, any of your other friends?"

"Hey, I thought you'd be happy that I came over!" Thalia pouted, throwing a potato chip at their brother who caught easily in his mouth.

"I WIN! SUCK IT, VALDEZ!"

Piper was up on her feet dancing excitedly and rubbing the fact that she had won in Leo's face who fell back in defeat, arms and legs spread out.

"How are you so good at this?" Leo complained with a groan.

Jason rolled his eyes at his friends and turned his attention back to Thalia. "I am happy that you're here! But— you don't look happy to be here..."

Thalia scoffed in disbelief. "I'm always happy, Jase."

Jason didn't seem too convinced. If anything, he was probably the only person who really knew all the days they had spent struggling with trying to be happy when they were still growing up. But he let it go as Piper came to sit next to him.

"Sorry about that, Thalia. Didn't mean to be rude," Piper laughed softly. "How's it going?"

Thalia grinned at Jason's girlfriend. "It's going great, Pipes. Thanks for asking. It was great watching you demolish Valdez."

Piper grinned cockily as Leo walked over with a scowl on his face.

"It was just a lucky game." He grumbled, sitting on the beanbag chair on the side.

Piper laughed, ignoring his comment and turning back to Thalia. "I thought you were going to get a septum ring," Piper said, recalling the last conversation they'd had with Jason while she was with him.

"Right, I... kind of got sidetracked." By Reyna. Several times. For several weeks. "College's been hectic."

Jason chuckled. "You're actually studying?"

Thalia shoved his shoulder a little hard, sending him a small glare. "Shut up, I am. I've been doing well, actually."

Jason looked a little impressed, which was slightly insulting. Well— sure, Thalia slacked off while they were in school... quite a lot. But college was different. They actually liked their major.

"Yeah? I'm proud of you!"

Thalia rolled their eyes. "Whatever, nerd."

"Would I look good with a piercing, though?"

Everyone turned to look at Leo who was pinching his eyebrow. They all shook their head simultaneously.

"No."

"No, listen! I'm thinking, I could change my look, you know? Start wearing bandanas, get a piercing or a tattoo."

Piper was shaking her head furiously. "No, nope. You cannot pull off that look."

Thalia sent him an empathetic smile, though they were dying of laughter on the inside as they imagined this scrawny kid dressed up in a punk aesthetic. "Yeah, no, Piper's right, dude."

Leo's scowl deepened. "If you can pull it off, then I can pull it off."

Jason shook his head at his friend. "Nah, Leo. I'm sorry."

"Dude, Thalia's hot. Of course, they can pull it off," Piper told him and Leo gasped, getting up to his feet, a deeply vexed look on his face.

"Are you saying I'm not hot?"

Piper went quiet and then slowly shook her head. "No, that is exactly what I am not saying." The shaking slowly turned into nodding and Thalia found it even harder to hold in their laughter.

"Hey— I have an idea!" They announced, getting up to their feet and clapping their hands together. "How about... We take me to get that septum I've been wanting for months now, and then we get you guys some burgers with dad's card and watch some horror movies?" 

Jason hesitated for a second. "Thals, we've got school tomorrow."

"So? It's still pretty early. We can be back before bedtime."

"I kind of... wouldn't mind getting another piercing, actually..." Piper said with a little smile, playing around with her dangling earring.

"Fine!" Jason finally agreed, letting out a heavy sigh. "I'll get the keys."

Thalia grinned triumphantly. "And get some cash. Tell him it's for dinner."

"Sure," Jason grumbled, jumping up the stairs two at a time.

They all filed into Jason's brand new car — his sixteenth birthday present — and drove to the tattoo and piercing parlour Thalia was quite familiar with. They'd gotten their first ever tattoo here — a small lightening bolt as a reference to David Bowie on their inner arm. Since then, they'd gotten many more tattoos all over their body from various other artists, but it was nice to be back some place familiar, even if they weren't exactly keen on their hometown.

Piper got a Helix piercing first and then had to spend the rest of the time while Thalia got their septum pierced trying to convince Leo that no, he did not need to get a tattoo that said _Bad Boy Supreme._ Jason was practically useless, laughing at the thought of Leo getting that tattoo instead of trying to help Piper in convincing him that it would be a terrible idea. As dumb as that tattoo would be, though, Thalia kind of wanted him to get it so they could have even more reason to tease the kid.

It was a little weird, having a new piece of metal in their nose. They had several piercings in their ears, from their lobes to their helix. They even had an industrial piercing on their right ear. But it was a weird sensation in their nose. They liked it though. Every time they caught their reflection in something, they grinned a little and had to fight the urge to poke the piercing because it would both hurt and possibly get infected.

They stopped at a local burger joint next and got an order to go before driving back home and slipping into the basement.

They were in the middle of watching The Shining when Thalia realised that they weren't bothered once by their evil stepmom which was never the norm whenever they were home.

"Hey, where the heck's Her Royal Pain in the Ass?"

Jason turned to glance at Thalia, chuckling a little at the nickname they'd chosen. "She's out of town on some business, I don't know. Though, she'll be back tomorrow I think."

"Great!" Thalia sighed in relief. "I think she'll still be able to smell my presence, though. Even after I'm gone."

Jason laughed, nodding in agreement.

By the time the movie was over and Jason's friends had gone back home, Thalia was pretty much too tired to drive all the way back to their apartment. It wasn't too long of a drive but they also didn't want to go home and find Reyna with Alex the Barista doing the nasty. With a little grimace at that thought, they followed Jason up the stairs and made their way to their old room that was still exactly the way they'd left it, thankfully.

They found an old pair of pyjamas in their dresser and slipped into them before getting in bed.

They turned the lights off and grabbed their phone to set up an alarm since they had classes in the morning. They checked their messages next.

Percy had spammed the large group chat with most of their friends with a bunch of memes that no one really bothered to respond to. Thalia only felt a little guilty but seriously dude, who still found Loss memes funny?

Thalia took a quick selfie with their new piercing and sent the picture to the chat, instantly receiving messages from their friends.

_Silena: WTF WHEN DID YOU GET A SEPTUM_

_Wise Girl: WAIT THIS BETTER NOT BE REAL. YOU BETTER NOT HAVE GONE TO GET A PIERCING WITHOUT ME_

_Seaweed Brain: Okay but why is no one laughing at the memes i sent_

_Pinecone Face: because they're not funny_  
_Pinecone Face: and yes... it's real_ 🤠🤠

_Clarisse: YO THATS AWESOME_

_Phoebe: FINALLY!!!!!! YOU LOOK HOT AS FUCK GRACE_

_Pinecone Face: thanks pheebs!_

_Wise Girl: I'm murdering you as soon as I see you_  
_Wise Girl: Wait that's a DOOKIE poster behind you_

Thalia looked up over their head, noticing the Green Day poster over their bed from their teenage years. Their phone buzzed again and they read Annabeth's contact name, sending them a message privately.

_Wise Girl: you're back home??????_

_Pinecone Face: yeah! went to see Jase. We got burgers and watched a movie and then it got late and Satan's not here so i thought i'd just crash here instead of driving all the way back to the city_

_Wise Girl: oh yeah, makes sense_  
_Wise Girl: tell Jason I say hi!_  
_Wise Girl; and also YOU GOT A SEPTUM AND DIDNT TELL ME?_

_Pinecone Face: im_ ✨ _spiralling_ ✨

_Wise Girl: you wanna call?_

_Pinecone Face: nah, i think im just gonna go to sleep rn but ill see you tomorrow_  
_Pinecone Face: love youuuuuu_

_Wise Girl: love you too idiot <333 _

Thalia smiled, sending Annabeth a spam of heart shaped emojis before exiting their chat and checking the rest of their messages. They completely ignored the emails from their university, talking about Covid precautions and how they're _doing great at conquering it!_ Which was total bullshit because people were still dying every day.

They went on a little spree, watching a few videos on their tiktok app and responding to a couple of the comments that they received on their latest video of a painting they'd made when they got a notification. They tapped on it blindly, only for their phone to take them to the iMessage chat with Reyna.

_Reyrey: Hey, are you staying out long tonight?_

Thalia scratched the back of their neck awkwardly as they reread the words in the grey bubble. It shouldn't have been so hard to text back a simple yes but it was. They erased their text message several time before finally replying.

_Thalia Grace: i'm staying over for the night_

Reyna's reply was almost immediate.

_Reyrey: oh_  
_Reyrey: where did u go?_

_Thalia Grace: went to see my brother_

They saw the three dots appear as Reyna typed back but as if on cue, a knock came at their door and a moment later Jason poked his head in.

"Can I come in?"

Thalia nodded, giving him a small smile as they locked their phone and tossed it beside them in their large bed. Honestly... they missed just how big their bed was. The things they could do with Reyna here... they shook the thoughts out of their head immediately, turning to give Jason their full attention as he walked over to them and sat down at the foot if their bed.

"How are you doing?"

Thalia looked at him suspiciously, sitting up straighter with their back against the bed frame. "I'm good... how are you?" They replied with a confused chuckle.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm doing great," he answered with a little shy laugh, dropping his gaze to his lap.

"Jason..."

"Thalia...?"

"You don't have to worry about me. I'm doing great, I promise!" They reassured him but Jason was pretty good at reading them and he wasn't buying it. "It's my job to worry about you, anyway."

"We both know I'm doing just fine. I'm the one who's got my shit together."

"Are you saying I don't?"

"Do you?" He retaliated, eyebrows raised questioningly. Thalia felt a little sheepish, shrugging their shoulders unsure.

"I don't know... a little, I guess?"

Jason was quiet for a few moments. "This thing with Reyna...?"

"We're just roommates, Jase."

"Okay! Okay... just making sure!" He held his hands up defensively and got up again, turning to leave. "You know," he stopped by the door, leaning against the threshold. "There's really nothing wrong with liking someone."

"I never said there was!" They shot back defensively.

"I'm just saying!" Jason exclaimed, grabbing onto the door handle. "Sleep tight, Thals."

He closed the door behind him and Thalia sunk into their mattress a little frown on their face. They grabbed their phone again, reading Reyna's message from the lock screen.

_Reyrey: oh cool! say hi for me_  
_Reyrey: here's a pic of the puppies!_  
_Reyrey: [click to download image]_  
_Reyrey: you coming back tmr btw?_

Thalia downloaded the image, smiling brightly as Aurum and Argentum's faces popped up on their screen.

_Thalia Grace: yeah, i'll be back in the morning_

_Reyrey:_ okay!! well, sleep tight x

_Thalia Grace: you too! tell Alex the Barista he has a great ass_

Reyna didn't answer that message which they expected. They could imagine her all flustered as she turned her phone off and tried her best to forget Thalia's inappropriate comment.

Even in the comfortably large bed, Thalia didn't sleep too well that night. And to top it all off, when they woke up in the morning, Hera was already back, being her usual unpleasant self and ordering the maid around the house. Thalia was pretty sure Hera didn't even know her name was Penelope. Gods, that woman was everything they despised and more.

"What a lovely surprise!" Hera started after doing a double-take as she walked into the kitchen where Thalia was sitting with Jason, having breakfast. "It's lovely seeing you." Thalia could feel the insincerity in her voice.

Thalia spread the widest smile they could muster, dropping their spoon back in the bowl of cereal. "I wish I could say the feeling's mutual."

The look on their step-mother's face did a full 180 and her usual sneer was back. "Hmm... well," she spent a few seconds observing Thalia with her eyes narrowed as they shoved spoonfuls of Cheerios in their mouth, chewing purposefully obnoxiously to bother Hera.

Jason was just staring between the two of them, too tired to even try and make sure they don't kill each other.

"When did you get that piercing?" Was Hera's first question, which was a little surprising to Thalia. They'd expected to comment on the fact that they were chewing like a farm animal.

"Yesterday," they replied while chewing on their breakfast. They grabbed their glass of coffee and took a sip — which they were going to regret having in a few minutes but they couldn't resist their father's super expensive coffee-machine that made super amazing coffee.

Hera scrunched her nose in disdain. "Sort of... looks like a cow," she muttered. Thalia's eyes widened a little and they almost choked on their coffee, having a hard time believing what they had just heard.

Jason coughed a little, dropping his spoon into his bowl and looked up at his sibling with his jaw slack. Thalia could tell he was fighting the urge to laugh.

To their surprise, though, Thalia did not actually take it as an insult. They found it a little funny, mostly because it was coming from Hera. It couldn't possibly affect them. But for the sake of their animosity, they dropped their cup of coffee onto the table and looked up at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Excuse me?"

But just as they'd replied, Zeus came waltzing in in his expensive suit, typing quite fast on his phone.

"Good morning," he mumbled in a gruff voice, not even bothering to look at anyone.

Jason and Thalia slumped back in their seats, mumbling greetings in return. Hera on the other hand clung to her husband's arm, her wide smile back.

"Good morning, sweetheart!" She exclaimed in her sweetest voice and reached up to kiss his cheek.

Thalia turned to their brother, gagging in exaggeration. Jason quietly laughed in return, shaking his head a little.

Thalia cleared their throat and pushed their chair back as they stood up, putting their dirty dishes in the sink. "I'm gonna go get dressed."

They pushed past their dad and made their way up to their room, closing the door behind them. They found some clean old clothes — an old pair of sweatpants and a hoodie — and put them on fast before grabbing their things and going back down to find their things and leave.

They gave Jason a big hug before leaving, promising to call him soon. They got on their bike next and started the ride back their apartment in manhattan.

The ride this morning was much more pleasant. There was a bit of traffic with the morning rush hour but it wasn't too bad. Thalia managed to zip past cars and move between lanes sneakily and they were back home fast than expected— and right on time, because that coffee they had was already giving their stomach a hard time.

They rushed up the stairs, fumbling with their keys and pushing the door open fast as they felt their insides begin to turn to mush.

They kicked their shoes off fast and tossed their helmet on the floor by the door before dashing to the bathroom, but not before sneaking a look in the kitchen where they found Alex the Barista hunched over the stove, half-naked.

"Douchebag," they muttered under their breath as they rushed to the bathroom, pushing the door open despite the fact that they could hear the shower running and flopping down on the toilet seat with a grunt.

Reyna poked her head past the shower curtain, frowning at Thalia. "What are you doing...?"

Thalia grinned sheepishly at her as they felt a fart coming. "About to shit my brains out. Sorry..."

Reyna groaned heavily and pulled the curtains closed again.

"Jesus Christ... did you binge on dairy shit?" Reyna asked after Thalia ripped out a very loud one.

"Just coffee," they grumbled in response, holding on to their stomach as though that was going to be helpful in any way. "So how's Alex the Barista?"

Reyna was quiet for a moment. Thalia heard the water stop running and Reyna reached out to grab her towel. She came out of the shower a moment later, the towel wrapped around her body.

"He's really sweet," she replied, turning her back to Thalia, standing in front of the sink to brush her teeth. "He stayed over."

"Yeah, I saw him in the kitchen," Thalia answered. Their stomach finally seemed to settle, but they stayed seated, watching Reyna in the mirror.

Reyna turned around when she was done, leaning against the bathroom counter, looking a little bit uncomfortable. Thalia wasn't sure if it was the fact that they'd just pooped a lot in her presence or not...

"Uh, listen..." Reyna started and Thalia knew they weren't going to like what was coming next. "I think, well... since I'm seeing someone now, maybe it'd be best if we, you know, just stopped—"

"—oh..."

"Uh, hooking up..."

"Right, yeah—"

"Yeah, it's just, I don't know how serious this thing is gonna be and you know, I don't want to make things awkward and—"

"Yeah, no, absolutely! I get it, don't worry about it."

Thalia looked up at Reyna and shot her their biggest grin, though right after, their stomach grumbled again and their smile turned into a grimace.

"I— do you need anything?" Reyna frowned a little at the pained look on Thalia's face.

Thalia shook their head, gripping their abdomen harder. "No, I'm good, thanks!"

"Okay..." Reyna watched their face carefully for a second before her eyes widened a little. "Did you... get a piercing?"

Thalia grinned and nodding their head enthusiastically. "You noticed!"

"Yeah," Reyna chuckled, offering them a smile as they admired the septum piercing some more. "It looks great. I love it."

"Thank you. Dad's wife said it made me look like a cow."

Reyna snorted and then instantly covered her mouth, her eyes turning a little bit apologetic. "I'm sorry," her voice came out muffled behind her hand, though she was still chuckling softly. "I'm sorry, it's just—"

Thalia laughed themselves, shrugging their shoulders. "It's cool, I found it funny too."

Reyna still looked a little guilty but she laughed anyway. "Well, she's wrong. It looks hot."

"Thanks," Thalia chuckled. They were quiet for a few moments and then Reyna gave them a small nod and made her way over to the door.

"I'll leave you to it. And, hey... thanks for understanding."

"Yeah, 'course," Thalia smiled brightly at Reyna before she left, closing the door behind her. Only then did their smile drop completely and they groaned heavily, burying their face in their hands.

They got in the shower and sat under the warm water, leaning their head against wall as their mind started racing. They were thinking of half naked Alex the Barista in their kitchen, probably making breakfast for him and Reyna, and how many nights he was probably going to spend over now. Their chest felt a little tighter at the thought. They didn't feel like waking up to Alex the Barista in their kitchen every other morning.

They didn't come out of the shower for a good thirty minutes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys quick question, could y'all see the emojis in the text message parts? they're visible to me but I just wanna make sure everyone can see them


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Teeny tiny bit of angst. just a sprinkle. I promise, it's less than a dash... :)

Thalia was possibly on the worst date they had ever been on.

They figured since they weren't really tied to anyone and their life was getting pretty boring, they could start dating again. And no, it had absolutely nothing to do with Reyna and the fact that they weren't hooking up anymore, no matter what Annabeth said.

They re-downloaded a dating app and matched with a lot of women nearby, which wasn't all that surprising. All they had to do was use a photo that showed off their sternum tattoo and septum piercing, and write the word "artist" in their bio.

The girl they matched with — Drew — seemed really cute while they were texting. She had shoulder length hair dyed blue and wore those cute little round specs. She had a few tattoos of her own and had that whole cottage-core aesthetic to her, which worked out great for Thalia.

Except, she wasn't anything like texting her suggested in real life. All the smiley faces and emojis she added at the end of every text message were purely virtual. Thalia wasn't sure she'd seen her smile authentically in the past hour that they'd been sitting for in this restaurant.

Their date was cute, sure. And sure, they were attracted to her, physically. Except, Thalia was lucky if they could get a single word in. By the time they were done with their penne, Drew was only halfway done with her meal and was still blabbering on about why anyone who ate meat and dairy products was a murderer. Not that Thalia had anything against vegans (they really tried their best to eat as little red meat as possible), but the way Drew was so... obsessed with that idea, almost aggressively so, made them want to hate veganism and eat the juiciest steak right in her face.

"I mean, I think everyone should just become vegan. You're basically a murderer if you eat cows. Like, carnivores must really hate animals right?"

Thalia looked up, picking up a breadstick and breaking it in two. "Right, yeah. Of course." They replied, their tone still coming out as completely emotionless as possible even though they had tired to make it lively. They were bored out of their mind and couldn't think of a single thing to do that would just get Drew to shut up.

They considered making out with her. She was drop-dead gorgeous. But that just wasn't really going to work since they were sitting in a public restaurant with a table between them.

It only got weirder when Drew started talking about her problems, from pet peeves to her deepest most darkest issues that Thalia was pretty uncomfortable listening to on a first date with a girl they'd only texted a few times and whom they were really only hoping to get to hook up with. With every word that came out of Drew's mouth, Thalia got more and more turned off.

"My ex-boyfriend. Lucas. He's got a lot of issues. He got diagnosed with an eating disorder while we were dating. Which made no sense, I mean, he wasn't like fat or like really skinny or anything. Plus, he's like a guy, right?"

Thalia couldn't even believe what they were hearing. How dumb can someone really be? Sometimes, they felt like pretty people should just keep their mouths shut.

"Wow... okay, you do know guys can struggle with body image too, right?" Thalia told her, their tone a little snappy but their patience was starting to wear really thin.

"Sure, of course. But what's he got to be insecure about? Like, just eat, you know?"

Thalia was left staring at her with their mouth open. They couldn't even find the words to respond and they were a little glad because they knew their words weren't going to be pleasant. Thankfully, they didn't have to say anything because Drew was such a chatterbox, she was already moving on to a new topic of discussion, which was even weirder.

At some point, she mentioned how her grandmother had passed away, which freaked Thalia out just a little too much to repeat the story. Then, for some reason, Drew mentioned tarot cards, asking Thalia if they knew anything about them. Thalia wanted to say yes just to shut her up and change conversations but they were scared Drew would ask them about it and figure out they actually knew nothing about that practice so they just mumbled a curt _no_ , and Drew went on to explain that she was in fact a practicing modern witch and was a Wicca, belonging to some Coven Thalia couldn't remember what it was called.

She drawled on for what seemed like an hour about the practice. And finally, as they were walking back outside, Drew said: "You know, I take my craft very seriously. It's really important to me, and if anyone doesn't respect it, it wouldn't work out between us."

Thalia only blinked at her, flipping their keys in their hand. "Right... you're absolutely right..."

Drew smiled brightly then, probably taking the wrong idea from Thalia's words. Jesus... "So... I had a lot of fun tonight."

Thalia slowly nodded, trying to locate their bike in the parking lot, counting the steps between them and their escape. "Yeah, same."

Drew's hand was suddenly on Thalia's arm, fingernails dragging along the fabric of their leather jacket. "Do you wanna maybe come over? My apartment's just few blocks from here."

Thalia considered it for a moment. Drew was pretty hot. Her apartment was close. They hadn't gotten laid in a few weeks. But then again, at this point, they were pretty sure she was a psychopath and was probably planning an elaborate scheme to harvest their organs or something. They weren't sure they trusted her. Actually, they definitely did not trust her. They could only imagine all the horrific things that were probably scattered all over her apartment, from witchcraft books and stones to all sorts of torture devices.

Thalia took a step back, causing Drew's hand to fall back to her side. They sent her a little nervous smile and shook their head. "Nah, I should probably head back home. I've got... homework, and stuff..."

The disappointed look on Drew's face was almost scary. Her smile turned into a scary scowl as she folded her arms over her chest. "That's boring. You know, I thought you were going to be more fun."

Thalia actually chuckled, shaking their head in disbelief as they held their helmet even tighter. "I could say the same, Drew."

That offended her greatly. Well...

"Pardon? You should be lucky you even got to go out with me."

Jesus... how the hell was Thalia attracted to her before?

"Are you fucking serious?" They scoffed. "Babe, I don't even have the time or patience to explain why you were the absolutely craziest fucking date in the history of dates. I couldn't even get a hard-on if I wanted to."

Drew gasped, scandalised. "Hard-on? What are you, a dude?"

Thalia just rolled their eyes, pushing past her to make their way to their bike. That was possibly the first time ever a comment that involved gender did not bother them a single bit. They weren't sure anything that came out of Drew's mouth could ever really hurt them after this painfully long date. "Fuck you, Drew. I wish you and your witchcraft all the worst."

And with that, they put on their helmet and climbed onto their bike, driving off into the dark night. They got onto the highway and were parking on their street in no time.

They made their way up to their floor and walked up to their door, keys jangling in their hand. They heard some clattering inside and then Reyna's laugh as they went to open the door. The found themselves leaning their forehead against the wall for a second, their eyes shut, and silently counting in their head for a few seconds. And then, with a heavy sigh, they walked up to the door again and unlocked it.

They kicked off their sneakers by the door as they closed it behind them and placed their helmet neatly next to them.

"Honey, I'm home!" They called out jokingly to announce their presence, but mostly it was because they didn't want to walk in on a naked Alex the Douchebag — sorry, the Barista again.

"Kitchen!" Reyna called back, and then some more clattering.

Thalia hesitantly peaked into the kitchen to make sure everyone was decent, just in case, and thankfully, they were.

"We're making crepes," Reyna told them as soon as she saw Thalia, smiling softly in their direction. She was sitting up on the counter, ladle in hand and mixing bowl in her lap. Alex was standing by the stove, flipping the crepes. "Want some?"

Thalia just shook their head, smiling back at Reyna as they made their way toward the cabinet to grab a glass of water. "I'm good, thanks. I think I've had enough breadsticks to last me a month." They let out a bitter chuckle as they filled their cup with some water and sipped on it.

Reyna jumped from the counter and gave them a little confused smile. "So... no laser tag?"

Thalia snorted, almost choking on their water and shook their head furiously. "God, definitely fucking not."

Reyna cringed, swirling the pancake mix in the bowl. "That bad?"

"Get this, she's a practicing witch. And then tried to make me come over. Nope. I'm not getting sacrificed. I'm too pretty for Satan."

Alex the Barista actually laughed, turning around to face Thalia with a little quirk in his lips. "You definitely dodged a bullet there!"

Thalia nodded slowly, forcing a grin in his direction. "I definitely did, yeah."

"I'm sorry," Reyna told them with a sympathetic smile.

Thalia shrugged, already making their way out into the hall. "Don't worry about it. I'm gonna go paint, I think."

"Oh! Hold on," Reyna stopped them right before they disappeared. Thalia turned to her expectantly. "I found your watercolours. They were in the bathroom for some reason. I put them on your desk."

"Oh, hey! Thanks," Thalia smiled gratefully at Reyna and with a small wave of their hand, they made their way to their room.

Thalia changed into more comfortable clothes, putting on an oversized t-shirt and a pair of shorts after freshening up in the bathroom. Then they sat on their window ledge, legs dangling out on the fire escape, cigarette in one hand, sketchbook and pencil in the other. Aurum came into their room a few moments later, keeping them company. He leaned his head on their lap, his tail wagging happily every time they put their pencil down to scratch behind his ear.

"You don't seem to like that guy either, do you?"

The dog just blinked at them but they took his silence and the tiny sniff he made as a yes. Thalia chuckled to themselves and went back to their sketch, drawing angry lines in thick led all over the page.

The side of their palm was stained in dark grey by the time they were done. They looked at the page in front of them, and a single eye, dark pupil dilated, stared right back at them. The black iris almost seemed to glisten in the moonlight, blinking at them.

They shook their head, ripping the page from their sketchbook and climbing back into their room. They grabbed a thumbtack and stuck the drawing to the bulletin board on their wall before going to the bathroom to wash their hands.

When they came back out, Reyna was alone in the living room, laptop open in front of her, scrolling through long pages with a very tiny font. Thalia went blind just glancing at it for a second.

"Hey," they announced from the kitchen where they grabbed a soda and then joined Reyna in the living room, flopping down on the armchair.

Reyna looked up for a second, sending them a quick grin before turning back to their laptop. "Hi! I have this stupid assignment that's due in thirty minutes, so I'm basically screwed."

"You're not screwed," Thalia scoffed, finding it hard to believe that Reyna didn't have an assignment done well before the due date.

"No, I am. I can't find the fricken resources," she huffed in frustration, furiously typing on her keyboard.

Thalia chuckled, taking a sip from their drink as the Argentum came over and placed his paws on their knees. The dog was huge but Thalia still let him jump up on their lap and squish them. They wrapped their arms around his body and leaned their chin over his back to be able to see Reyna.

"No way, Reyna Ramirez-Arellano stressing over schoolwork. Never thought I'd see this," Thalia joked but then Argentum decided to put all of his weight on their chest and push them back against the armchair and they were left out of breath.

Reyna just glared at them for a second, probably feeling a little bit too happy for Thalia's liking that her dog just squished them. "Yeah, don't rub it in, Grace," Reyna grumbled before turning her attention back to her assignment.

Thalia laughed quietly to themselves and let Reyna get to back to her studying. They pulled their phone out instead, busying themselves with twitter and instagram and spamming Annabeth with selfies of them and Argentum on their lap until their legs fell asleep under his weight and they had to push him off. He wasn't too happy about it but he did anyway and marched off to his bed with a bit of disappointment. Thalia wasn't sure if dogs could make fun of one another but Aurum seemed to be looking at his brother with a bit of smugness.

Their phone started ringing while they were in the middle of sending Annabeth a very ugly selfie and Jason's name popped up on their screen. They swiped on the screen to answer the phone but as soon as Jason's loud "HEEEEEEEY" came out of the phone's speakers, Reyna turned to glare at them.

With a roll of their eyes, they walked over to the kitchen and sat at the table. Jason's face popped up on their screen, his blue eyes bright and blonde hair falling over his forehead.

"You need a haircut," Thalia told him. They were used to him having his hair close-cropped. Though they had to admit, Jason did look good with his hair grown out.

He looked up at his hair falling just above his eyebrows, pushing the strands back into a little quiff. "Hmm, I'm kinda liking it that way. I don't think dad does, though."

"Who cares what dad likes, anyway— oh, wait, Annabeth's calling. I'm gonna add her to the call."

Thalia spent the next minute figuring out how to have a three-way FaceTime call and when they finally did, Annabeth's face in a charcoal mask appeared on their screen.

"Oooh, Jason! Hey!" Annabeth greeted him, completely ignoring Thalia. "I miss you!"

"Hey, miss you too!"

"The only other smart blond out there!" Annabeth exclaimed and Thalia snorted, kind of agreeing to that statement.

"I mean, there's Apollo, who's a doctor," Jason pointed out but both Annabeth and Thalia grimaced, shaking their heads at him.

"I get it, he's your brother, but he's an idiot," Annabeth disagreed and Thalia snorted.

"Damn right," they laughed while making their way to the fridge in search of a quick snack. "What's up, Annie?"

"Nothing, really. Just wanted to ask how your date went because you gave me absolutely no updates whatsoever," Annabeth scolded them playfully. "I literally don't want to see your face from a hundred different angles."

"What? Shut up, you love my selfie spams!" Thalia exclaimed, pouting at the screen but Annabeth looked at them with a cold and stoic expression. Well...

They grabbed an apple from the fridge and walked back over to the kitchen table, pulling a chair back and flopping down.

"Wait— you went on a date tonight?" Jason asked like it was the most scandalous gossip out there.

"Yeah, not that it's any of your business!" Thalia shot back but they still proceeded to tell them all about it with a little sigh. "She was absolutely crazy. I think she wanted to sell my organs and sacrifice me to some demon lord."

"Wait what?" Annabeth laughed in confusion, sitting up straighter. "Was it that bad?"

"You have no idea," Thalia replied with a huge sigh and then went on to tell their brother and best friend everything that had happened on their date earlier from meeting Drew at the restaurant until they got back home.

"Okay... yikes, yeah, I'm glad you got out of there alive," Jason let out a shaky breath, his eyes wide as he was freaked just by hearing the story.

"Jesus christ... I really hope you blocked her number..." Annabeth said, rubbing the sides of her temple. Thalia's eyes widened as they realised they hadn't done that yet. Drew could still contact them and that was quite literally the last thing they wanted to ever happen.

"Shit, I should do that right now." They went through their phone, going on every single app Drew could contact them on and blocking her.

"That's an awesome way to start Spooky Season, if you ask me," Jason said with a little laugh. Thalia chuckled, opening the video call again and shaking their head.

"I feel like I'm in a horror film," they grumbled, taking a bite from their apple. "You think she managed to poison this? Am I gonna be stuck in a coma now?"

"Yeah, be careful, Thals," Annabeth joked with a grin playing on her face. With the face-mask on, she kinda looked scarier than usual, especially with the grin she pulled.

"I really hope not. You can't miss movie night on Saturday," Jason said with a very serious look on his face. Halloween Movie Night was no joke at the Grace household. Every single year for as long as Thalia could remember, the two siblings, along with their cousin Percy, and Annabeth when they first became best friends, huddled up in front of the TV and marathoned a bunch of scary movies. Not one year did they miss it, and they weren't going to start now.

"Don't worry, I'll be there," Thalia reassured him and Jason smiled brightly in response.

"You better!"

"Hey, you know what?" Annabeth started, a suggestive look on her face. "You should invite Reyna."

"Invite me where?"

Thalia looked up as Reyna walked into the kitchen, rubbing her eyes tiredly.

"Oh, uh—" before they could answer, Jason was interrupting them with a huge grin on his face.

"Halloween Movie Night at our place! We're gonna watch all the classics! Oh— I'm Jason, by the way."

"Hey, Reyna!" Annabeth added from her end. Reyna came to stand behind Thalia, looking down at their phone screen a little bit confused, her hand still rubbing her face.

"Hi, uh," she looked down at Thalia with her eyebrows furrowed, still looking completely lost. That assignment must have really taken its toll on her. "When is that?"

"I literally just said Halloween," Jason exclaimed. Thalia looked at their brother through the screen and then back up at Reyna, awkwardly running their fingers through their hair. They had no idea why they felt so awkward about having Reyna over at for their Halloween tradition, but for some reason it made them want to run away and hide.

"Dude," Annabeth scolded Jason. "It's this Saturday," she then explained to Reyna calmly. "I take it you're not a halloween person?"

"No one's not a Halloween person!" Thalia scoffed but to their horror, Reyna just shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't mind it," she answered casually, but there was nothing casual about her answer yo Thalia. No, Thalia loved Halloween, the one day of the year you could pretend to be whoever you wanted.

They turned around in their seat so they were facing Reyna, their apple left on the table, long forgotten. "What do you mean you don't mind Halloween? It's like, the only holiday worth celebrating."

Reyna just shrugged like she didn't understand what the big deal was. "What? It's just costumes and candy."

"Nope," Jason mumbled.

"You should nooooot have gone there," Annabeth added, grimacing a little.

Thalia couldn't even find the words to express the feeling of betrayal that pierced through their chest and cut them into a million pieces. Dramatic... but they really liked Halloween.

"Dammit, Ray. I thought we were finally friends. Now I can't even invite you to Halloween night," Thalia told her with a disappointed pout.

Reyna just laughed as she turned around to rummage through the cabinets. "I'm sorry, it's not that deep though. Do you want some tea?"

Thalia pouted even more. "Now I don't even think I can be your friend," the grumbled, leaning their chin against the table. "And yes, please. No sugar."

"I think we're well past the friend stage." Reyna turned around to shoot Thalia a little mischievous smirk as she filled the kettle with some water to boil.

"What does that mean?" Jason asked, his face suddenly much closer to the screen.

"Uh...." Annabeth stuttered for a second before disconnecting. Smooth, Chase. Very smooth.

"Are you keeping secrets from me now? YOUR OWN BROTHER?"

Thalia turned their attention back to Jason and shot him their shit eating grin. "Jase, you only know half of it," they chuckled as Jason's eyes widened. He placed his hand over his heart, feigning being hurt.

"Dude! I tell you everything," he gave them the best puppy-dog eyes he could muster and Thalia almost cracked because it was Jason, and they loved him, and they did try to confide in him as much as possible because sometimes, as young as he was, he really did give the best advice. But there were some things they just couldn't get themselves to talk to him about, and there were things, like their sex life, that should remain private. It would just be weird.

"That sounds like a you problem, buddy," Thalia teased him with a soft laugh.

"I even came to you for tips on how to ask Piper out!"

"Again... sounds like a you problem, buddy," they repeated and Jason just groaned with defeat. "Alright, I'll see you Saturday, yeah?"

"Yeah, whatever. Reyna better be there!"

"No, she's uninvited for not respecting Halloween!" Thalia snapped, only half joking.

Reyna turned around just to show them with their expression that they were honestly not affected a single bit.

Thalia scowled at her again and after mumbling another bye in Jason's direction, they disconnected the call.

"You know what?" They decided, pushing their chair back and standing up on their feet. They grabbed their half-eaten apple and leaned their back against the counter right next to Reyna as she was filling up two mugs with some boiling water.

"What?" Reyna asked, pushing Thalia's mug in their direction and holding hers up to her mouth, blowing some air over the steamy drink.

"I'm going to make you fall in love with Halloween," Thalia told her and took a bite from their apple.

Reyna let out a small laugh and took a small sip from her tea, wincing just a little bit as it hit her tongue. "How are you going to do that?"

"We're going to watch halloween classics right now." They moved to grab their mug in their empty hand, sliding closer to Reyna's side. They were now at eye level and Thalia could feel a small stutter in their chest.

Reyna didn't look too comfortable with that idea. "Right now? It's like... after midnight."

"On a Saturday night," Thalia pointed out, raising an eyebrow to prove their point further.

"I'm really tired," Reyna complained, taking another sip from her tea.

"C'mon," they pleaded. "I didn't get laid tonight like I'd hoped. The least you could do is indulge me with some scary movies."

Reyna let out a heavy puff of air, pushing herself off the counter and making her way back to the living room. Thalia followed her.

"You make it sound like it's my fault you didn't get laid," she chuckled as she sat down on the couch next to a very sleepy Argentum.

Before Thalia could even stop them, the words came tumbling out of their mouth. "It is!"

They stopped dead in their tracks behind the couch, cringing hard at themselves. It wasn't Reyna's fault they had to resort to dating apps where they met crazy people.

Reyna turned around to face them, her jaw slack in shock. "How is it my fault?" She demanded, her eyes narrowing in Thalia's direction.

They shuffled nervously over to the armchair, putting their mug down on the coffee table before sitting down. "Uh, it's— it's not. I mean," the stuttered. "It's your fault we're not currently watching a horror movie right now."

"That doesn't even make any sense!" Reyna huffed over her steaming cup.

Thalia just shrugged and pulled their legs up to their chest. They nibbled at their apple around the core, grateful to have something to do instead of just sitting there awkwardly and hoping Reyna didn't catch on to their train of thought that was all over the place.

"Besides, aren't you going to be binging a bunch of those movies on Saturday?"

Thalia shook their head no, scoffing a little. "No, Saturday's for Halloween classics. So, all the Scooby-doo movies, The Addams Family, probably Halloweentown if we're still up before sunrise."

Reyna blinked at them for a second before answering. "Halloweentown's a disney movie."

"Duh, and it's fucking beautiful!"

Reyna just sipped at her drink. Man, this was going to be hard but Thalia was determined.

"We're watching Beetlejuice."

"I— Do I have say in this?" Reyna asked with a little sigh, already knowing the answer to her question.

Thalia shook their head as they stood up and walked grabbed the remote from the coffee table. They threw the apple core in the garbage can and flopped down next to Reyna on the couch, turning the television on in the process.

They found the movie on Netflix and jumped up to turn off the lights as the movie started before joining Reyna again.

"There aren't any ghosts in this movie, are there?" Reyna asked, her hand coming down to pet her dog gently as he laid his head in her lap.

"Shh, no spoilers!" Thalia whispered, giving the first scene of the movie their undivided attention.

"It's just," Reyna tried again. "I'm not a huge fan of ghosts..."

Thalia turned to look at Reyna again, frowning a little as they saw the uncomfortable look on her face, just barely illuminated by the bright screen.

"There's a poltergeist, which is the main plot of the story but... it's not like your typical ghosts or anything..." Thalia explained, pausing the movie on Alec Baldwin's face.

"It's okay, you can unpause it. It's not a big deal," Reyna reassured them but Thalia was starting to feel guilty for pressuring her into watching a movie that might make her uncomfortable.

They wondered if that fear of ghosts had anything to do with her disdain for Halloween and the entire holiday. They also wondered why she wasn't so keen on ghosts either. They were too afraid to ask to avoid making her feel any worse.

"Are you sure? We can just go to bed."

Reyna shrugged and shook her head, brushing it off. "It's cool. Just play the movie!"

Thalia hesitated for a second but they listened anyway and unpaused the film.

As the plot kept advancing, Thalia stole glances at Reyna who was actually watching the whole movie. She was quite focused on the screen, despite the few yawns that escaped her body but she fought through them as the storyline got more and more intense.

Halfway through the movie, Thalia was completely ignoring it and had resorted to watching Reyna watch the movie. All her tiny facial expressions anytime anything surprising happened were too adorable and Thalia was interested, almost captivated. They found themselves grinning as Reyna's eyes widened or when a small, almost inaudible gasp escaped her mouth.

"You're staring at me," Reyna whispered in the middle of the exorcism scene. Thalia only knew what scene it was because they had turned to look at the television as they felt their cheeks turn to flames.

"I'm not," they mumbled in response though it was already too late. Reyna didn't comment any further on it.

By the time the movie was over, Thalia had missed most of it by watching Reyna watch the movie but they didn't seem to mind.

"That wasn't so bad, actually," she admitted with a little laugh, stretching her limbs and yawning rather loudly.

Thalia chuckled, getting up to their feet to get the blood flowing in their legs again. "So, what's the verdict?"

"Still not a huge fan of Halloween, but I don't mind the movie marathon if I'm still invited."

Thalia groaned dramatically, pushing their palms over their heart. "I really thought this would work. But fine, I guess you can come."

Reyna got up herself, stretching her arms over her head. "You won't be watching any really scary movies, right?"

Thalia shook their head no. "Nah, you're good."

Reyna nodded a little before reaching over for the remote and turning the television off. Darkness draped over the room and Thalia could only see Reyna's reflection through the soft light coming from the hallway.

"I think I'm going to head to bed, then," Reyna said, her voice much quieter now in the dark. She didn't move.

"Okay," Thalia whispered, clasping their hands together behind their back, rocking back and forth on their heels.

Reyna hesitated a little. It looked like she wanted to say something and Thalia wanted to ask her about it but before they could muster up the courage, Reyna turned around and left for her room. 

On Saturday evening, Thalia dressed in all black, putting on their hoodie the wrong way around with the hood hanging over their chest. They grabbed their helmet and met Reyna by the door before leaving.

"We're not taking your bike... are we?" Reyna asked and only then did she seem to notice that Thalia was wearing their hoodie wrong. "Your sweater's in reverse..."

"I know," Thalia grinned excitedly. "Watch this." They pulled the hood over their head to cover their face and then pulled a face mask over their head, and finally, they pulled the helmet. It wasn't a perfect costume, but it worked.

They couldn't see anything in front of them but somehow, they could just picture Reyna's blank expression.

"I don't get it."

Thalia tolled their eyes but then remembered Reyna couldn't see them so they took off their helmet and hoodie and did it again so Reyna could see.

"You had to roll your eyes twice, didn't you?"

Thalia glared at her, holding their helmet under their arm. "Yes, shut up. I'm a character from _Among Us."_

 _"_ I have no idea what that means. I don't have to dress up, right?" Reyna asked, her hand already on the door handle.

Thalia shook their head as they grabbed their keys and shoved them in their pocket. "No, you're good."

Reyna was just wearing a pair of jeans and a purple sweater she was quite fond of. She looked pretty cozy and anyway, they were just going to be sitting around until dawn watching movies.

"You didn't answer my question, though," Reyna stated as she opened the door and stepped outside to call the elevator to their floor.

"Which one?" Thalia followed Reyna and closed the door behind them.

"We're not taking your bike, are we?" Reyna repeated, holding the elevator open for Thalia after pressing on the ground floor button. Thalia joined her inside and leaned against the wall as the doors closed and they started moving down.

"Do you have any other options?" Thalia asked with an eyebrow raised. They wouldn't have minded taking any other rides, but their motorcycle was all they had to get out of the city and to the suburbs.

"Aren't there any trains?"

Thalia scrunched their nose, shaking their head furiously. "Trains take so much longer. We can be there in less than thirty minutes while driving."

Reyna looked at them with a little bit of concern when the elevator doors dinged open. "That shouldn't be possible..."

Thalia hesitated for a moment before grinning sheepishly at her and dashing out into the lobby.

" _How fast are you driving that thing?"_ Reyna exclaimed, following Thalia outside.

Thalia held their hands up defensively and let out a small laugh. "Not as fast as you're thinking!"

Reyna looked even more concerned now, her brow creasing as a frown settled on her face. "That thing's a deathtrap on wheels, Thalia. You can't go around driving it that fast!" Reyna exclaimed, waving her hand in the direction of Thalia's parked motorbike.

"I'm telling you!" Thalia cried out defensively. "I don't drive _too_ fast."

"You're still driving fast."

"I'm like, really careful! Promise."

Reyna seemed to be having a hard time believing their words. She huffed, pushing her hair behind her ear. "Besides, you only have one helmet."

Thalia nodded. "Yeah, and you get to wear it. So, you won't die. Not that anything's gonna happen— look, I've been driving this thing since I was sixteen. We're safe."

Thalia put as much reassurance as possible in their voice, holding the helmet out to Reyna.

"You don't have to get on if you don't want to," they told her with a small sigh. "You can ride with Percy and Annabeth. Percy borrowed his dad's Prius but like... They're taking Estelle trick or treating first. And I really wouldn't want to be stuck in a car with those two for more than five minutes. Don't ask."

"Yeah, I don't wanna know..." she muttered, and then with a small sigh, she grabbed the helmet from Thalia. "Let's just get going."

Thalia grinned excitedly, flipping the keys in their hand. "Okay! C'mon."

They walked over to their bike and climbed over it as Reyna followed them while adjusting the helmet over her head.

"For the record, I have nothing against motorcycles. I don't trust your driving."

Thalia wasn't sure if she was teasing them or being completely serious. Either way, they turned around to face her with a pout on their face. "Don't make me drive with the hoodie covering my face."

Reyna's hand went still on the helmet's strap as she was tightening it. "Please don't do that..."

"No promises," Thalia stuck their tongue out playfully before turning back around and starting the engine. "Hold on tight." They told Reyna, leaning their weight forward forward.

Reyna's hand hesitantly held on to their waist and Thalia started speeding down the road, making sure to drive to the speed limit. They didn't want Reyna murdering them. When they got to the highway, Reyna's grip tightened around their waist and moved closer to them, her chest against Thalia's back.

Thalia's heart started beating faster, but they figured it was the rush of adrenaline as they zipped past cars in the fast lane. Plus, the cold air hitting their face wasn't exactly the most exciting.

They were parking in front of their dad's house in no time. They both jumped off the back of the bike and Thalia led the way up the steps to the front door. Reyna handed Thalia their helmet back, her eyes focused on the intricately detailed door.

"There are like, giant sculptures in your front yard," Reyna pointed out, a little awe in her voice as she glanced back at the marble sculpture of a cherub.

Thalia chuckled, pulling the keys from their pocket. "Wait till you see the ones inside," they told her as they opened the door.

They held the door open for Reyna to walk in first. She took a tentative step inside, a little taken aback by the grand entrance and a huge chandelier hanging over their head.

Thalia always hated how big and extravagant the house was. All the expensive artefacts that Hera insisted on having around the place always seemed to watch them with a hidden pair of eyes. It was daunting. The house always seemed too large, towering over everything and anything. Even now that they were grown up, it only seemed scarier somehow. The only place they ever found real comfort in was their bedroom and that was after a lot of personalisation. The large bed and connecting bathroom were a plus.

The look on Reyna's face was exactly the same as theirs. They knew exactly what she was thinking. It was all unnecessary.

"And I thought my mother came from a rich family," she breathed out and Thalia actually let out a laugh, grinning widely.

"Yeah... you'll never get used to it," they chuckled as they kicked the door closed behind them. "Come on, I'll give you the tour." They touched Reyna's elbow lightly and led the way down the hall.

To their surprise, the first person they saw was the last person they had expected to see... like ever.

They almost ran straight into Zoë, except it took them a good few seconds to realise it was actually her. Their first ever crush, and their older sister's best friend. At some point, they'd even suspected Zoë had practically been in love with Artemis, but their sister could not handle any kind of relationships.

Zoë was as elegant as ever, white shirt tucked neatly into her striped trousers. Her hair was pinned back neatly and away from her face with a silvery headband, leaving her brown eyes wide and captivating.

"Oh, hey— what are you doing here?" Thalia asked, nothing bothering to mask their surprise.

"Is that how you kids greet people nowadays?" Zoë responded with a little click of her tongue. Thalia actually felt their cheeks turn red even though they new she was only joking.

"No— I'm just— I mean, hey," they spluttered, feeling their face turn even hotter as the blood rushed to their cheeks.

Zoë had the audacity to laugh and shove Thalia's shoulder playfully. "Art invited me," Zoë explained like that answer wasn't so obvious. Of course Artemis invited her, but what were they doing here? As far as Thalia was concerned, Artemis was stuck on the other side of the planet doing some charity work for underprivileged girls when the pandemic hit.

"Yeah, but what is she doing here?"

"Crashing your movie night."

Artemis quite literally appeared out of nowhere, her heels clicking against the marble floor and echoing in the wide hallway, and she was joined by non other than her twin, and Thalia's least favourite sibling, Apollo. It wasn't anything personal. They did love him. Kind of. But he was such a dude sometimes. And an asshole other times.

With a little groan, they turned to look at Reyna who was awkwardly standing there, her hands shover in the pockets of her sweater, staring straight ahead at the painting of some medieval battle hanging on the wall. Thalia sympathised with her.

"Hey, Lia!" Apollo exclaimed, that huge, lopsided grin they hated so much adorning his face. "Why do you not answer my emails? I literally spend ages on those personalised Haikus."

Thalia glared at him, digging their heels into the floor to avoid going over to him and stomping on his face with their boots. He knew how much they hated that nickname. Lia was their childhood nickname and it was heavily connected to their "girly" phase, when their mother used to force them into dresses and pigtails and it was practically the first thing they'd told everyone they weren't comfortable being called. "Don't call me that, asshole."

"Yeah, seriously, Apollo. Not cool," Artemis told him with a little disappointed frown. And that was why she was their second favourite sibling.

Apollo did look a little guilty though, so they dropped their glare, but their fists were still balled up at their side. Reyna moved closer to them and Thalia noticed the small frown settling on her face. Thalia couldn't be sure, but they were pretty certain she was silently asking them if they were okay. She somehow sensed their discomfort, and knowing that made Thalia's anger toward their brother suddenly dissipate. They sent a small smile in her direction, reassuring her that they were fine.

"Sorry, little sis— SHIT, I mean, kid— sibling, GOD, IT DOESN'T HAVE THE SAME RING TO IT!" Apollo blurted out and frankly, it looked like he was the one having a crisis in that moment and Thalia found it just a little bit funny.

"Dude, just shut the fuck up!" Thalia groaned, dropping their face in their hands.

Artemis cleared her throat, and Thalia knew that was her cue to changing the subject and they were grateful. "Is your friend Annabeth not coming?"

"I always liked Annabeth," Zoë said with a little nod of approval. "Only one of your friends who wasn't an idiot."

"Yeah..." Artemis sighed. "Too bad she's dating Percy."

"Literally..." Thalia dropped their hands to their side, staring right at Artemis. "How are you not gay? You're always shitting on men."

"Trust me, I've been asking her that same question for years," Zoë muttered with a little huff and a chuckle.

"ANYWAY, not the important question. Who cares about blondes? Thalia, who's your friend?" Apollo interjected, his eyes boring right into Reyna annnnnnd nope. Thalia knew that look. They found themselves shifting so that they were standing right in front of Reyna, their arms crossed over their chest.

"Reyna, my roommate. These are my siblings, Artemis and Apollo, and Zoë, Art's friend," Thalia introduced them in a rush. "Don't talk to Apollo," they whispered in her ear.

Reyna gave then an odd look and then turned back to the group of adults and waved awkwardly. "Hi..." 

Thankfully, Jason came running down the stairs all of a sudden, pushing past the twins and pointing a finger in Thalia's direction.

"BLACK IS SUS!" He screamed loudly and Thalia gasped, taking full offence, pointing a finger back at him in accusation.

Jason was wearing the exact same outfit as them except his hoodie and sweatpants were blue.

"YOU LITTLE SHIT!" They were grinning from ear to ear as they ran up to him and tackled him in a bone crushing hug.

Jason groaned as they came into contact but he still hugged them back just as tightly.

"I didn't get a hug," Apollo mumbled with a little disappointed sigh.

"I don't like you," Thalia replied, their face nuzzled in Jason's hoodie.

Jason pulled away soon after, beaming brightly as he stood next to Thalia and found Reyna. He dashed over to her, hand extended in front of him and eagerly shaking hers. "Hi! I'm Jason, but you knew that already."

Reyna actually smiled back at him, shaking his hand back just as eagerly. "Yeah, it's nice to finally meet you. Thalia literally never shuts up about you."

"How many times have they mentioned me?" Apollo butted in, earning several groans and eye-rolls.

"Exactly once," Reyna told him and Thalia had to bite back a laugh as Apollo gasped dramatically and held on to his chest right above his heart.

"You are a horrible little sibling!"

"Shut it, drama queen," Thalia flipped him and turned to Reyna. "Let's give you the tour now, I think we've had enough of these idiots."

"Hey!" They all exclaimed at the same time, but Thalia sent them all an unapologetic smile. Except for Zoë. She wasn't an idiot.

Thalia grabbed Reyna by the hand and pulled her out of the hallway and down the stairs, starting the tour from the very bottom. They showed her the giant cellar first, where their dad kept all of his most expensive bottles of wine and the secret little trick they had learned to steal some drinks stealthily without being caught in their teenage years, demonstrating it with a bottle that Zeus probably would even notice was gone.

Next, they moved to the basement that was already perfectly set up with snacks, drinks, and extra beanbags and blankets for the night. They went up to first floor next and quickly went through the different rooms, from the kitchen to the dining room, the music room and the family room.

Reyna was mostly occupied with the paintings and the expensive artefacts adorning the walls and every other corner of the house. Even when they went outside and to the backyard where the pool was, she never failed to look surprised.

"Seriously, how did you grew up here without going crazy?" Reyna asked as they walked back in through kitchen patio instead of the living room door they'd initially taken to go out.

Thalia laughed softly as they closed the door behind them and started leading the way upstairs again. "I didn't spend a lot of time here until dad won full custody when I was twelve. But... yeah, I did go a little crazy. I mostly stayed out, or in my room. It was still better than living with mom though." _At least I knew Jason and I were safe._

Reyna followed Thalia up the stairs, running her hand up the metal railing Thalia had spent a lot of time sliding down and getting yelled at by Hera. It was worth it every single time though, even when they fell on their wrist and sprained it.

"What's teenage Thalia's room like, I wonder," Reyna said with a little enthusiasm in her voice as they finally reached the top floor. She stopped for a second, looking down either side of the hall, probably counting how many door were there.

With a little chuckle Thalia started walking toward their bedroom at the end of the hall, which wasn't too hard to find with the giant Green Day posted and PUNK'S NOT DEAD sticker taped to the door. "There's five bedrooms up here. One of them was initially a library-slash-study but when Jason and I moved in here, we needed an extra room so dad turned the study into Jase's room."

Reyna nodded along, trailing her fingers along the wallpaper decorated with elegant gold and royal blue fleur-de-lis patterns. "I wonder which one's your room!" She exclaimed dramatically and Thalia laughed, shoving her into the wall with their shoulder playfully. "Honestly, the fact that your room's the only with posters on the door truly explains a lot."

"Really?" Thalia pushed the door open and turned the lights on. The room was instantly illuminated brightly, revealing the large bed in the middle with the plain white sheets and the wall behind it covered in all sorts of posters from Punk bands to movies they loved while growing up. And of course, Deanerys Targaryen sitting on a dragon. Because seriously, come on... what was hotter than Emilia Clarke ruling over an entire world with her dragons? Absolutely nothing.

There was a large book case on the opposite wall hanging over their desk with multiple books standing on it in a mess along with other random toys and games they'd collected over the years. There were a few polaroids still, taped to their dresser, an old pair of Converse high-tops with a hole at the toes sitting next to it. They were surprised Hera hadn't come in here and thrown them away but then again, Hera had sworn to never step into their room because she feared she'd be eaten alive by rats, believing Thalia was horribly messy, and she kept her word. Though, to their credit, Thalia had never reached that level of mess. They were too tidy for rats.

Their first ever guitar, a worn out and chipped red electric guitar, was leaning against the wall in the corner of the room. It hadn't been used in years but still, any time they looked at it, they got just a tiny bit sentimental. Reyna walked over to it, plucking some of the strings that were horribly detuned. But then she looked up, and turned back to face Thalia, smirking in their direction.

"You have fairy lights on your ceiling..."

Thalia looked up, seeing the cable LED lights stuck to the ceiling all around the room which probably didn't work anymore. They hadn't been turned on in over a year. Thalia smiled at Reyna sheepishly, shrugging their shoulders. They knew the lights were definitely not their vibe especially with all the posters hanging all over the walls but they liked them at the time. They would probably still hang some on their wall back at their apartment if they had the chance... and patience.

"They're cute."

"Yeah," Reyna grinned at Thalia. "But I never would have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself."

"That's fair," they chuckled, moving to sit on the edge if their bed. Reyna walked around the room, taking in every single item, even the shoes with the hole in them, as though she were a detective trying to figure out who Thalia was, and they didn't really mind. Reyna earned a little bit of their vulnerability at this point. She has already seen them at their worst, anyway.

"So... who's Zoë?" Reyna started, her back turned to Thalia as she went through their book collection.

Thalia frowned at the question, wondering where it was coming from. "Artemis' best friend, and like partner in their organisation— The Hunters. Why?"

"Wait, you're kidding," Reyna turned around, eyes wide in surprise. "That's your sister's organisation?"

Thalia nodded in confirmation. They understood where her surprise came from. Artemis' organisation was quite impressive. Everyone in this country, if not the world, has heard about it. She founded it with Zoë when they were just seniors in college and it just kept growing until it became the top non-profit in the state that deals with helping underprivileged young girls, and then the country, and they just kept expanding, until they started working in places like Africa and South America. Sometimes, Thalia was kind of in awe of their sister. It really was impressive.

"That's amazing. But she looks really young..."

"She's twenty-six, yeah," Thalia agreed with a small chuckle. "Why are you asking about Zoë, though?"

Reyna's smirk was back. "Oh, it's just that, you were blushing really hard when you saw her and then you were stuttering mess and— well, it was really adorable."

Thalia glared at them, grabbing the nearest item — a tiny stuffed animal sitting on their dresser — and tossed it in Reyna's direction. Reyna caught it with ease, laughing softly as turned back around to reading the labels on the backs of the books. "Shut up— I was not blushing!"

"You're blushing right now," Reyna told them without even turning their back. And of course, she was right. But Thalia wasn't going to let her have that satisfaction.

"I don't blush," they said matter-of-factly which only made them sound like they were lying even more.

"I've made you blush before," Reyna pointed out and though Thalia couldn't see her face, they knew she was grinning in amusement, revelling in embarrassing them.

"Those times don't count. They were... well, intimate."

"I suppose," she chuckled, pulling a copy of some book they'd read in school by some English author whose name they couldn't remember. Mainly because they hadn't actually read the book. "But no one's ever turned you into such a nervous wreck like that before." _You have._

Reyna turned around to grin at them and Thalia decided it would be best to just tell her the truth and get this conversation over with.

"I had a crush on her for like the better part of my childhood. And most of my teen years. I think I figured out I was gay when I first met her actually..."

Reyna's smile wasn't teasing anymore but it still lingered in her expression, her gaze softening. "I think she knows that."

"Of course she does," Thalia let out a bittersweet laugh. "I was an embarrassing kid, I think I've literally drooled on her at some point."

Reyna's head fell back as she laughed and as embarrassed as Thalia had felt confessing all of that, they couldn't help but beam at Reyna and laugh along.

Reyna put the book back in place and kept walking around the room until they stopped in front of the dresser, inspecting every polaroid picture that was sitting there.

There were many pictures with Jason, some with Percy and Annabeth, Grover and the rest of their group of friends were in others. Even Zoë was in one of them from a Thanksgiving dinner a few years ago. And there was just one of—

"Who's that?" Reyna asked, and without even looking at the picture she was pointing, Thalia knew who she meant. Reyna had already met almost everyone in those pictures. Except for the one she was looking at in that moment.

The picture was engraved in Thalia's mind. Messy blond hair, bright blue eyes, a crooked grin, the small scar on the side of his face, the toy lightsaber in one hand. Thalia was standing next to him in the picture, same messy black hair from playing outside all day, wild blue eyes, the shit-eating grin they still wore to this day. They had another lightsaber in their hands, holding it in front of them defensively as they pretended to be Jedi masters.

Half of Percy's face in a Darth Vader mask was sticking at the edge of the picture as Annabeth had taken it and she always sort of sucked at timing pictures right but it didn't matter. It was Thalia's favourite picture at the time but now it was hard to even picture it. It was especially hard because they could picture it perfectly.

"You don't have any tattoos here," Reyna chuckled, leaning in closer to look at a younger version of Thalia.

"Yeah," they mumbled quietly, standing up and walking over to where Reyna was, looking over her shoulder at the picture. They hadn't taken a proper look at it in years. "That was right before I got my first tattoo actually."

Reyna turned around, frowning a little at them. "How old were you?" She asked in confusion. She was right to be confused. Thalia was fifteen in that picture and they'd gotten that first tattoo at the age of sixteen, which should not have been possible. Tattooing minors in the state of New York was illegal.

"Sixteen... I stole Artemis' ID..." they confessed sheepishly, scratching the back of their neck awkwardly. "She went batshit crazy on me when she found out."

Reyna shook her head, letting out a small laugh. "I'm not even surprised," she admitted with a small grin in Thalia's direction. "Which one was it?"

Thalia hesitated for a second but then they pulled their arm out of their hoodie, exposing their shoulder. Just under the picture of a deer, there was a date written in a small roman numerals. They pointed at it with their finger as Reyna took a closer look at it.

"I always wondered what that date was," she told them in a soft voice, running her thumb delicately over the date. August 18th 2016.

VIII XVIII XVI.

Thalia took a step back abruptly, shrugging their arm back into the sleeve of their hoodie and straightening it. Reyna was taken aback a little but she didn't say anything, giving Thalia the space they needed to collect their thoughts.

They pulled the paws of their sweater over their hand, holding them tightly and held their hands behind their back. They paced a little around their room, staring at just about anything, trying to get the picture out of their head but it was impossible.

They cleared their throat and turned back around, pointing at the polaroid with their hand. "Uh, that's Luke. He was my first friend ever, before I met Annabeth and Percy. Well, Percy's family but we weren't really close until I came to New York. Luke was... he was the only one who was there for me for the longest time."

Reyna nodded in understanding, a small smile making its way onto her face. "He sounds like a really nice guy..." and then it hit her. Thalia was using the _past tense._ Her smile dropped, replaced by a little frown accompanied by a crease in her brow. "Oh...I'm sorry..."

Thalia just shrugged, shoving their hands into their pockets, forcing a smile. "S'okay. He had it hard and just... couldn't take it, I guess." They shrugged again, letting out a shaky breath. "It's okay."

Reyna took a tentative step closer to their side, pulling her lips between her teeth as she watched Thalia closely. And then, to Thalia's surprise, she spread her arms wide, taking another step toward them. "Do you want a hug?"

Thalia let out a chuckle in disbelief but instead of answering verbally, they stepped into her embrace, wrapping their arms around her waist. Reyna's arms closed around them and she rested her chin on their shoulder as Thalia nuzzled her neck.

"I'm sorry, I've no idea what I'm supposed to do in these situations..." Reyna confessed with a shaky laugh and Thalia just squeezed her tighter, smiling into the crook of her neck.

"This is perfect," they responded, their voice muffled by her skin.

Thalia could smell hints of Reyna's perfume that they'd grown so accustomed to mixed with the flowery scent of the laundry detergent, and they took in another deep inhale, feeling themselves both starting to relax and have their heart rate accelerate at the same time. It was a little confusing but they didn't think about too much, focusing instead on Reyna's hands on their back, rubbing it in small circles.

They pulled away first, but just far enough so they could see Reyna's face and as soon as their eyes met, they felt a pit in their stomach starting to fill with butterflies. Reyna's eyes were dark and Thalia was immersed in them. Thalia's eyes flickered down to her lips but instantly regretted it as the butterflies went batshit crazy. And, god, okay, Reyna was licking her lips and Thalia wanted nothing more than to just close the distance between them. But they couldn't kiss Reyna. It wouldn't be right.

But then again, Reyna hadn't moved away and her hands were on Thalia's waist now.

And the longer they stared into Reyna's piercing black eyes, the more the words "fuck" and "shit" were being chanted in their head, and they realised that yes, they were pretty screwed because they had ultimately caught feelings for Reyna and there was absolutely nothing they could do about it.

As if on cue, there was a knock on the door but before they could answer, Annabeth was barging in, dressed completely in white from head to toe, just like Thalia, hoodie in reverse and covering her face.

"Y'all better not be naked in here!" Percy appeared right behind her, similarly hiding his face behind a green hoodie, matching a pair of green sweatpants.

Thalia took a step away from Reyna, clearing their throat and brushing their hair away from their face. They hadn't realised they were holding their breath until they took in a deep one and their lungs felt like they were starved of oxygen for hours.

"Uh, no, we're not," they replied quietly, moving even further away from Reyna as Percy and Annabeth pulled their hoodies down in sync. Sometimes, Thalia truly believed they were exactly the same person.

"Good! It's Scooby time!" Percy exclaimed excitedly, holding up the old DVDs in his hands. He turned around and dashed down the stairs to the basement to start setting up the movie.

Thalia turned to Reyna, giving her a quick smile before rushing out the door after Percy. Annabeth caught up with them pretty fast and Reyna followed, just a few steps behind the two.

"You okay?" Annabeth murmured just quiet enough for Thalia to hear.

"Spiralling further," they answered and then jumped over the last few steps, hitting the hardwood floor with a heavy thud under their boots.

They took their spot on the beanbag chair strategically placed next to the candy and reached for a red vine as everyone else settled around the table. Jason had invited Piper and Leo to join them this time. Fortunately, their older siblings did not actually crash their movie night. Artemis and Zoë couldn't sit through five minutes of Scooby-doo — which was totally lame — and though Apollo did stop by for a few minutes halfway through the first movie and tried to sit next to Reyna, one glare from Thalia and Percy made him roll his eyes and retreat but not without stealing a bunch of candy.

The night was as fun as it always was but Thalia couldn't stop glancing at Reyna every now and then. Annabeth had noticed and during their five minute bathroom break between the second and third movie, she followed them into the bathroom.

As if to prove a point, Thalia peed right in front of Annabeth who honestly couldn't give a damn. She only rolled her eyes and turned around to stare at the door.

"We're talking about this." Annabeth told them, still watching the door.

Thalia flushed the toilet and went to wash their hands. They didn't say anything until their hands were dry and covered their face with their hoodie because maybe then admitting their feelings wouldn't be too real.

"I think I really like Reyna."

Their voice was muffled by the fabric of their hoodie but they knew Annabeth had heard them clearly even when she didn't answer for a few moments.

When they dropped their hoodie down, they saw that Annabeth had turned around to look at them, her thinking face on.

"Also," they added, "I think I have a type."

"Yeah, dark hair, dark eyes," Annabeth muttered, placing her hand under her chin. "Zoë, Bianca, your obsession with Wynona Rider and Renee Elise Goldsberry... Reyna. you just figured it out?"

Thalia groaned, leaning their forehead heavily against Annabeth's shoulder. Annabeth sighed, placing a comforting arm around them, patting their back gently.

"It's different though, like... with those other crushes it was just... you know, a crush. Like a stupid high school infatuation. They didn't really mean anything."

"And this one makes you feel like your heart's about to go on a rollercoaster, but the good kind of rollercoaster."

Thalia looked up at Annabeth's face, nodding their head slowly. "Yeah... is that how that dumb ass makes you feel?"

Annabeth snorted, smiling amusedly at her friend. "Unfortunately, yes."

Thalia cracked a smile in return, wondering how on earth Percy and Annabeth ever worked out so well. They loved Percy but he was just all over the place compared to Annabeth who, despite her chaotic nature, always had her shit together. And yet they were perfect together.

"Thal, I think you're falling for her."

"You think?" Thalia exclaimed sarcastically.

Annabeth rolled her eyes at their tone and leaned their shoulder against the bathroom wall. "What are you gonna do about it?"

Thalia groaned again, this time hitting their forehead against the cool bathroom tiles. Before they could do it again though, Annabeth slipped her hand under their chin and pulled their hoodie up so they wouldn't bruise their forehead. She was caring like that.

"Nothing. I can't do anything about it because relationships and I do not work together. And besides, she's dating that barista guy and as much as I'd like to think he's a douchebag, he's really not that bad and I just— fuck, I don't know what to do!"

Annabeth's hand rested on their shoulder, giving them a small squeeze. "I'm sorry, babe," she murmured.

Thalia sighed heavily, pulling away from the wall and rubbing the spot on their forehead that felt just a little bit sore. "It's cool. I'll figure it out. Eventually. Maybe."

With a little shake of their head and an exasperated sigh, they stepped out into the hall with Annabeth and they made their way back to the basement where everyone was waiting for them.

"You trying to steal my girlfriend, Grace?" Percy exclaimed, pointing an accusatory finger in their direction.

Thalia smirked at him and grabbed Annabeth by the hand, pulling her into their side. Annabeth played along, wrapping her arms around their waist and leaning her cheek against their shoulder. "You know I can if I wanted to, Jackson. There's nothing you can do about it."

Annabeth laughed, pressing a kiss on Thalia's cheek before pulling away and sitting back down next to her boyfriend.

With a little chuckle, they flopped back down in their beanbag, locking their hands behind their head.

Jason started the next movie while Leo went to turn off the lights again and they all settled comfortably in their seats again as they watched the Scooby-Doo gang try and solve a murder mystery.

A few minutes into the movie, Reyna leaned over from her spot on the couch, poking Thalia on the shoulder to grab their attention. "Everythin' okay?"

Thalia hesitated for a moment as they processed the question and then nodded curtly, sending her a grin. "Yeah, perfect. You?"

Reyna smiled back although she didn't look completely convinced. "Yeah, although that ghost part wasn't exactly fun to watch."

Thalia winced a little, looking at her apologetically. "Sorry, I kinda forgot that was part of the film."

Reyna laughed softly, shrugging her shoulders. "It's okay."

"Shhhh, this is the best part!" Jason whisper shouted through a mouthful of popcorn and Thalia muffled a laugh, turning back to face the tv.

They would figure out what to do about their situation later. Right now, it was Scooby time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's only gonna get spicier from here on out :)


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should be studying for my exam tomorrow, but instead I'm writing 11K words in the middle of the night... anyway. Enjoy! I thought it was about time I wrote something from Reyna's POV... I might do that more if you guys enjoyed it so, feedback would be really appreciated! thank you :))

Reyna's POV

Thalia was more agitated than ever around the apartment, and it was driving Reyna right up the wall. She couldn't have a single quiet moment whenever they were home. It was either the really loud music while they painted, or playing the really loud music themselves, though it wasn't so bad when their guitar playing was accompanied by their singing voice which was surprisingly soft considering they usually spoke loudly, assertively, and with a little rasp.

But that didn't change the fact that Reyna wanted to sit at her desk and not want to pull her hair out strand by strand as Thalia played the same Green Day riff for the sixteenth time in a row. Yes, they were counting.

On the seventeenth try, even Aurum started whining and scratching at her bedroom door, trying to push it open.

With a frustrated sigh, Reyna got up and opened the door. Her dog ran down the hall and sat down right outside Thalia's bedroom  
door.

Reyna follow him and knocked on the door, but of course, Thalia couldn't hear them so they grabbed the handle and pushed the door open.

"Do you mind?" Reyna yelled over the loud distorted music.

Thalia jumped in surprise, turning around so fast and almost tripping over their cord, pulling it out of the amplifier. The music stopped, but it was replaced by really high-pitched frequency that was just so much worse.

"Dude, I was filming that!"

So, that explained the seventeen times they were played the song.

Thalia rushed to the amplifier and turned it off to stop the static noise. Reyna let out a sigh of relief, watching as her dog ran up to Thalia's bed and jumped on it, rolling on his back for belly rubs. Thalia happily complied, setting their guitar down and sending Aurum to heaven with belly rubs.

"I'm trying to study and I can't focus with you playing Basket Case twenty times in a row."

Thalia raised their eyebrows, looking impressed that Reyna knew the song they were playing. "Fine, I just need to get that last take."

Reyna rolled her eyes, folding her arms over her chest in frustration. "Why are you even filming it?"

"Coz it's a nice song," they answered as Aurum started licking their face. They laughed, scratching his belly with both hands now. "Thanks for the kiss, buddy." He licked their face again. Sometimes, Reyna believed that her dogs liked Thalia better, mostly because they spoiled them with treats all the time, even when Reyna begged them not to.

"It's not nice when it's played seventeen times in a row!" Reyna exclaimed and stormed out of the room.

"Jeez, okay!" Thalia called back with a frustrated sigh, though Reyna saw no reason for them to be angry. She was the one who had to listen to horribly executed punk guitar riffs. Okay, it wasn't entirely fair. Thalia was talented, sure. But still... once was more than enough. " _YOU COULD AT LEAST CLOSE THE DOOR BEHIND YOU."_

Reyna turned back around, fists clenched at her side, and walked over to the door. She held the door handle and whistled for her dog who insisted on stying in Thalia's room.

"Aurum, _veni_."

The hound instantly jumped up and walked over to her side. It wasn't Aurum who was left complaining but Thalia, who plopped down on their bed, pouting in disappointment.

"What's got your panties in a twist?" Thalia huffed, grabbing one of their pillows and hugging it close to their chest.

"Nothing, I'm just really trying to get this assignment done and you've been making it incredibly hard these past few days."

Thalia opened their mouth, shocked and ready to protest. "What? What the hell have I been doing? I've barely even seen you all week."

That was somewhat true. They haven't actually sat down together or hung out in some time, not even for breakfast. Reyna was a little worried that Thalia was avoiding her for some reason, but they didn't remember doing anything to annoy them. Not like they have been doing.

"You take incredibly long showers while singing at the top of your lungs at two in the morning," Reyna started, holding one finger out to count. The held up a second finger as they continued. "Your music's always too loud. Two days ago, I had to get rid of your date because you were out before noon for the first time since I've met you and she was practically hogging shower for hours. And by the way, that was definitely not a pleasant night."

Reyna could still hear that girl's voice through the walls screaming all sorts of filthy things. It was horrific.

"Okay, woah, hold on just a second. I had an actual class that morning, so, you're not really being here. And okay, thank you for taking care of that situation, but c'mon... you can't really complain about unpleasant nights." Thalia folded their arms across their chest defensively, raising an eyebrow in Reyna's direction and daring her to challenge them.

Reyna clicked her tongue, mimicking Thalia by crossing her own arms. "Hey— I am not— I'm not _loud_..." they could already feel the heat creeping up their neck but they weren't going to back down and let Thalia have this moment of victory.

But Thalia's lips curled up in a smirk and they unfolded one hand to point at Reyna. " _You're_ not loud. Alex the Barista on the other hand..."

"Can you stop calling him that?" Reyna rolled her eyes, dropping her arms to her side, her hands clapping against her thighs.

Thalia wasn't listening though. They were too busy trying to imitate what Alex sounded like to them. Reyna wasn't sure if they were actually embarrassed or suffering from second hand embarrassment from Thalia's behaviour.

"How do you feel when he yells _I'm a sex-god_ while climaxing?"

"Díos míos, you're impossible!"

As Reyna turned around to storm out of the room, making sure to close the door behind her this time, they heard Thalia cackling in their room.

They sighed in exasperation and decided to let their frustration out on candy bar. As they ate the chocolate-caramel flavoured ambrosia, Aurum, and now joined by Argentum, stared up at her with their adorable puppy dog eyes. It was so hard to resist them sometimes but she couldn't exactly feed them chocolate.

She could see them salivating, their tails wagging excitedly, and her heart broke at the thought of not giving them any treats so with a defeated exhale, she walked over to the cupboard where she kept their things and pulled out two dog biscuits, throwing one in each of their directions.

They got to finished their chocolate in peace but as soon as they were sitting in their room again, Thalia had plugged in their guitar again and they started playing the same exact riff. Reyna decided to give them one chance before storming back in there and stealing the guitar jack, but thankfully, Thalia only played the song once before turning off her amp.

With a sigh of relief, Reyna managed to finish her assignment and submit it on time. After getting into more comfortable clothes, she slipped under the covers in bed and both dogs automatically joined her, lying down by her feet. She tried her best not to let them on the bed but sometimes, one just needed cuddles from their dogs. She patted the spot next to her and Argentum immediately got up and flopped down next to her, getting there before his brother could. Reyna could have sworn he was smiling. Aurum got closer, leaning his chin over his paws on her legs and went for a snooze instead.

Reyna smiled at the two hounds, giving them both an equal amount of attention until her phone rang. It was Nico di Angelo, possibly her first real friend since high school.

When she answered the call, Nico's face appeared on her screen, eyeliner smudged and dark, shaggy hair falling over his eyes.

"Hey, Ra-Ra!"

Reyna's smile instantly disappeared, replaced by a scowl at the nickname Nico used. "Do you really want to be slapped across the country?"

Nico grinned unapologetically at her, nodding his head. "I'd like go see you try!"

"Don't worry, Reyna!" She heard Will's voice before his blond head of hair appeared next to Nico. "I'll slap him for you, if you want."

Reyna smiled at Will Solace, glad to have someone on her side. "That sounds like a great plan. Do it."

"What— hey! No, Will—" Nico started to complain but Will was already relishing in the sweetness of getting to smack Nico. It was too late for Nico, and even as he tried to escape and run away, there wasn't anything he could do. He was too lanky and Will was already wrapping his arms around him and smacking him on the back of his head. Reyna heard it through her phone's speakers. "OW."

Reyna winced, her face contorting as she could image just how much that must have hurt him. Will was giddy, grabbing his sides as he burst out laughing while Nico scowled and huffed a good few feet away from him now, only half of his body showing on the screen now, rubbing the back of his head harshly.

"I'm breaking up with you," Nico announced and Will, of course, childishly stuck his tongue out.

"You can't go a second without me, babe," Will laughed, getting up and kissing Nico's head on his way out. Nico tried to swat him away, still angry at him for smacking him on Reyna's behalf.

Once Will was gone, Nico turned to look at Reyna, still scowling and sulking. "Thanks for that," he muttered, blowing a strand of hair off his face.

Reyna grimaced, smiling apologetically at him. "Oops...?"

"Yeah, right!" he scoffed. "I'm never calling to check up on you ever again."

Reyna laughed quietly, reclining all the way back until her head was on her pillow. Argentum moved to nuzzle his face in her neck and she wrapped her arm him, giving him a good rub behind the ears. "You'd miss me too much."

"Lies!" Nico exclaimed, but his mouth was already fighting a smile. But Reyna knew him and she knew he was really good at burying his feelings deep, deep, down inside, so she let it go, sighing dramatically in defeat.

"Soooo... how's not going to school been?"

Nico let out shrugged, grimacing in response as he shifted his weight, leaning back on the couch and placing his laptop over his lap. "It's fine, I guess. Dad's still badgering me about the _importance of a good education_ and _your mother would've wanted to see you become a doctor or something!"_ He tried to use a much scruffier voice to imitate his dad's, but he ended up sounding like a thirteen year old boy who just hit puberty and his voice won't stop cracking.

"Oh, that's just low..." Reyna murmured, feeling a sudden bubble of anger in her chest, ready to defend Nico— as scary as his dad was.

"Yeah, tell me about it," Nico huffed out in exasperation and a roll of his eyes. "I don't think he's going to get over it. It's funny, you know? Because, I thought the whole gay thing would be the issue. But no, he's completely fine with that. But he's also begging to pay thousands upon thousands of dollars just so I can become just another doctor or lawyer or whatever."

"Hey, do you think he'll be willing to pay for my law school in two years?" Reyna joked, shooting Nico a small grin which he returned with a little chuckle.

"Yeah, he likes you, you're getting an education, at least. Unlike his _ungrateful son!"_

"That's harsh," Reyna sighed, looking at Nico with sympathy.

He just shrugged, flipping his hair off his face. "Anyway... how's school and that job thingy and life in general?"

"No comment, no comment, and no comment!"

Nico raised an eyebrow questioningly. "That bad? Wait— I'm gonna go paint my nails and you're can rant like I know you want to."

"I don't want to rant," Reyna denied, rolling her eyes at him. Though... he was kind of right. She could still feel the pent up frustration in the pit of her stomach, threatening to burst out. But it was her thing, suppressing all the emotions, hiding behind her work, and waiting until all her problems just usually disappeared.

"Yes, you do. I'm going to get my shit and give you a sec to collect your thoughts."

Before Reyna could complain, Nico got up and left the room. She let out a sigh, turning to lay down on her side and leaning her phone against her dog. He didn't seem to mind and he was already deep asleep so... she made up for it by giving him a few kisses on the head.

Nico was back in under a minute and he moved his computer to the other side of the couch while he laid a small hand towel in front of him along with several bottles of nail varnish.

"Alrighty, hit me!"

Nico wasn't even looking at the screen as he grabbed some acetone and a cotton ball and started removing the old and chipped nail polish.

"Dude, there's literally nothing to hit you with. Uni's alright, I'm just drowning in assignments. The job internship thingy is also fine. I show up three times a week and learn absolutely nothing of substance. And life in general is just life."

Nico looked up at her while rubbing the colouring off his pinkie, not believing a single word she had just told him. "Okay... so that means shit, right?"

Reyna hesitated for a second before sighing in defeat and nodding. "Yeah, shit. But what else is new?"

Reyna rubbed her eyes as Nico went back to cleaning his nails.

"Yeah," he chuckled. "Does it have anything to do with Alex the Barista?"

Reyna groaned, dropping her face in her palms. "Why does everyone keep calling him that?"

"Because he's a barista!" Nico laughed, throwing the cotton ball away and grabbing the base coat.

"You don't see me calling you Nico the Barista," Reyna countered and Nico playfully narrowed his eyes at her, pointing a threatening finger in her direction.

"And if you do, you'll find yourself dead within the hour!"

"Oh, no, I'm so scared. Please don't," Reyna muttered, her voice completely void of any emotion.

Nico smirked amusedly, running the brush over each of his nails carefully. "So?"

"What?"

"Does it have anything to do with your boyfriend?"

Reyna shrugged her shoulders. "No, that's actually going pretty good."

And it was. Alex was actually a pretty nice guy, and really good looking. He was a first year med student, and was weirdly not as conceited as other med students she had met. She really did like him except—

"You don't look too convinced," Nico pointed out, his hand going still as he went to grab the bottle of nail polish. "Red or black?"

"Uh... both."

"Seriously?" Nico raised an eyebrow, considering it for a moment and then nodding as he grabbed both bottles. "Is it going great?"

"Yeah, he's a really nice guy."

Nico looked up at her, his lip curling upward and tilting his head to the side. "I can practically hear the 'but'."

Reyna shook her head. "There's no but."

"There's always a but... unless you're saying he doesn't have a _butt?"_

It took Reyna a second to understand him but then she just stuffed her face in her pillow and let out a groan. "You're worse than my roommate."

That seemed to brighten Nico up by a thousand percent. He was suddenly grinning mischievously, sitting up straighter, his half-painted nails completely forgotten.

"How awkward is it with Thalia, now that you guys are like... you know... just friends, without the benefits?"

"It's like we're back to square one," Reyna admitted, letting out a heavy sigh and hugging her blanket even closer.

"What do you mean?" Nico asked, changing colours now and started painting the rest of his nails with the red varnish.

Reyna took a second to respond, trying to collect her thoughts to explain her home situation. "Do you remember when they first moved in?"

"Yeah, you were practically at each other's throats all the time," Nico mumbled, focusing on keeping the varnish neat.

"It wasn't that dramatic, but yeah. It's kinda like that except, now it feels like they're doing all these annoying things on purpose," Reyna told him. She pulled her hair out of its pony tail, brushing through it with her fingers to ease her scalp and then started braiding it slowly, trying to keep her hands busy.

"So... they're trying to get on your nerves? Or want attention, or what?"

"No, they're not a five-year-old kid, Nico. But, well, I mean, yeah sometimes they can act like a child but... it's not that. It's like, just to spite me, maybe? Like just an hour ago, they played Basket Case by Green Day eighteen times in a row. Eighteen. Do you know how annoying that is?"

Nico was fighting back a smile, his upper lip quivering a little as he regarded her through the screen. "Since when do you listen to Green Day?"

Reyna furrowed her eyebrows, her fingers stilling in her hair for a second before resuming. "I don't," she answered quietly.

Which wasn't completely a lie. Except that, after Thalia had moved in and she had grown used to them and gotten to know their more pleasant side, Reyna had started to learn more about them and their interests, searching for common ground, and mostly to try and understand them. So, she started doing some research on the songs they tended to listen to most and their favourite genre, and some other art related things.

"You know," Nico started, closing the bottle of red varnish when he was done and holding his fingers out for his nails to dry. "When I first met Will, you remember how much I was strictly into like, heavy rock and grunge and metal? And then, in music class, he was talking really passionately about Surf Rock, and how revolutionary the Beach Boys were. And you know me. I'd never have listened to the Beach Boys, not in a million years. But after I got home that day, I found myself listening to their songs. And I actually really enjoyed their Pet Sounds album and I texted him and I asked for more recommendations."

Nico stopped to blow on his nails and Reyna thought he was going to continue his story but it ended there, and anyway, she knew the rest. They went on their first date and fell madly in love, etcetera, etcetera.

"Your point?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at him. She finished braiding her hair and pulled a hairband from around her wrist, tying it around the end of the braid.

Nico chuckled, placing his palms down on his lap, fingers spread to avoid ruining the newly done job. "My point is... I don't think I've ever seen you listen to Green Day before. I didn't think you could name a single one of their songs."

Reyna huffed, lying back down on her back. "You're not making any sense," she told him. She had an idea of where he was going with this, but it was a ridiculous notion. She was dating Alex, and she really liked him. She was happy with him and he made her feel safe and comfortable.

But Reyna also liked some excitement. She had spent all of her life doing the right thing and choosing all the right and safe options to get her to where she was today, a straight A student at one of the top universities in the country with an internship that could potentially get her a great job or into an amazing grad school. She was kind of getting tired of not taking any risks, which was why she had started the whole roommates-with-benefits thing with Thalia in the first place. And because they were actually incredibly amazing in bed, and they made her want to take risks and feel alive.

But they both knew it would never work out in the long run. They were polar opposites in everything that they did in their lives. They couldn't possibly agree on a single thing, and just imagining them together made Reyna's heart flutter with anxiety. It would be way more chaotic than she could ever handle.

It wasn't like she could see a whole future with Alex, with a family and a happy ending. Reyna didn't even think she wanted any of that in the first place. But with Alex, she knew there wouldn't ever really be any regrets. It was good.

"I'm just saying," Nico continued, pulling his laptop back over his lap as he adjusting his position again. "Look... what's the _but_ part of being with Alex that we were talking about before?"

"There literally isn't any..."

"There's always a but in every relationship, Rey," Nico sighed, pulling his lip between his teeth to chew on it for a few seconds in thought before releasing it and sucking on his teeth. "I mean, with Will, he wears crocs unironically. Because they're comfortable, which is total bullshit. But, yeah, every relationship has a _but."_

Reyna didn't answer him, she tried to think about any thing negative in her relationship with Alex and quite honestly she couldn't find any. They've never had a fight, he's a great listener, he always smells nice, he respects boundaries. And sure, he did yell out that he's a sex-god once in bed, and it was a little bit of a turn-off but that wasn't something she couldn't deal with.

Nico seemed to read her mind because the next thing he said was: "It's the sex, isn't it?"

"What?" Reyna's eyes widened, blood rushing to her cheeks. Nico grinned, knowing he got it.

"It is, isn't it? It's not as good as you hoped? Or... it's not bad but, it's not as good as..." his grin slowly started to widen as Reyna's blush spread all over her face. "Not as good as Thalia?" Nico cackled triumphantly when Reyna didn't answer in words but buried her face in her pillow instead. "Oh my gosh, does he not let you... you know?"

"No, god!"

"Is he that bad?" Nico laughed, covering his mouth with his hand. He was having a field day while Reyna wanted nothing more than for the ground to open up and swallow her whole.

"No, he's not bad, jeez. It's just–"

"He's not as good as _them_?"

Reyna slowly nodded, already feeling horrible for admitting it. But it was kinda true. "He's— he's good, okay? It's just... ugh, Nico, the things they can do with their tongue..."

Nico's face contorted into a grimace, his grin faltering in mild horror. "Oh, okay, yeah, no, thank you. I don't want that image in my head."

"And especially with a strap... I mean, Alex's not small, right? But Thalia can just—"

"OKAY!" Nico exclaimed loudly, his eyes wide and horrified. "I get the fucking picture."

"You asked for it," Reyna chuckled. Her stomach twisted at the memories she just had of her and Thalia and their bed and seven inches long purple silicone toy that had once gotten her more excited than her naked boyfriend... and she felt a little guilty.

"I did. That's on me. But, please, just don't. Don't."

Reyna smirked at him playfully. "Okay," she laughed, shifting until she was lying more comfortably in bed, holding the phone up in front of her face.

"So, why're things awkward between you two now?" Nico started again after a few quiet moments, leaning back on his couch.

Reyna shrugged, taking another second before answering. She frankly had no idea. They were good just a few weeks ago, even after they had called off their sexual relationship. And then, Thalia became more irritable and Reyna tried her best not to keep calling them out but it was hard when they were constantly trying to get on her nerves, and they were back to square one, before they'd become better friends and had gotten to know each other pretty well. They'd both seen one another at their worst, and it had brought them closer but now it felt like there were miles between them, and they shared a bedroom wall.

They changed the subject, having enough of talking about Thalia and started asking Nico other questions about his life and their other friends back in California and how they were doing until she was pretty tired and had almost fallen asleep while Nico was still talking. With a chuckle, he wished her a goodnight and ended the call, letting her get some rest.

Over the course of the next week, Thalia had becoming incredibly creative with their "bother Reyna until she goes completely loco" plan.

They were ten times as messy, constantly forgetting to pick up their dirty laundry off the bathroom floor when the hamper was literally located right there, getting paint and charcoal all over the house, leaving the milk carton out when they didn't even drink milk. Their music was getting worse by the day. They went from the likes of Green Day to the entire High School Musical soundtrack. And by entire soundtrack, Reyna meant literally all the songs, in order, from all three movies. They moved on to classical music, which was actually perfect for Reyna, but as soon as their playlist ended, they were playing some horrible death metal.

Reyna didn't understand what was going on with her roommate. They were clearly going through something, but she had no idea what it was, or how to ask. Thalia wasn't letting her help them anyway so Reyna was constantly infuriated whenever they were both home at the same time and it was driving her up the wall.

She was constantly begging them to stop being all over the place. And any time she went up to them to talk to them about whatever new mess they had concocted, she could see them visibly close off and build up all of their defences, attacking right back. Though, Reyna didn't like to think that she was attacking them. Just trying to live as harmoniously as possible with someone who was making it damn near impossible, and she was pretty sure it was happening on purpose.

Reyna didn't know if it was something she had done to offend Thalia. Maybe they were uncomfortable with her bringing over Alex often, but Thalia never said anything. So, how was she supposed to know if they didn't communicate?  
Sure, Reyna wasn't exactly a heartfelt person. She didn't like opening up to people and barely even knew how to talk about feelings. Sometimes, she could be just as closed off as Thalia. But she had opened to Thalia more than she had opened up to anyone before in the year that they've known each other. They knew her better than her own sister who was her best friend and the person she trusted most in her life.

Yet another reason why they never would have worked out if they had continued whatever the hell it was that they were doing. It would have just been a cold, emotionally repressed relationship of sorts and that was never healthy for anyone.

She did notice that Thalia spent a lot more time on the roof whenever Alex was over, even when they weren't doing anything more scandalous than watching a movie or cooking sinner, and sometimes, she wouldn't hear them climb back into their room through the window until it was three o'clock in the morning or even the break of dawn. Most of those times, they would smell heavily of cigarettes.

It was like they had never even made that step to becoming friends in the first place and had taken several steps backwards to simply being roommates who could barely stand one another.

Reyna was genuinely upset. She had really grown to like Thalia and appreciate their friendship. Most of the time, they were always sincere and honest and actually friendly. But now they were just acting a little douchy and it kind of stung.

They heard the front door open and a pair of keys jangling, followed by chatter: Thalia's distinctly rough voice followed by their friend Percy's.

She shouldn't have been irritated that Thalia had friends over. In fact, Reyna had grown used to their friends, especially Annabeth who was a lot nicer than she looked. And she could hold an intellectual conversation quite well. But she found herself bubbling up with annoyance as she heard their voices grow louder as they walked in through the house.

She was sitting in the living room herself, watching a recorded lecture on her computer, but it was long forgotten now. She closed the laptop and placed it on the coffee table and padded over to the kitchen, almost stepping into mud stain that looked a lot like the bottom of Thalia's favourite pair of boots.

"Please, Annie. I'll literally sell my kidney. I need that grade!" Thalia was saying, using a pleading voice Reyna was entirely familiar with.

"Thals, I'll literally be the reason you fail. I don't do well behind a camera— oh, hey, Reyna!"

Thalia turned to face Reyna, their face instantly changing, and though it didn't completely take her aback because it had been happening for some time now, it was still surprising because she had absolutely no idea why Thalia was acting so reserved.

"Look, don't get pissy about the mud. I'll clean it up in a few minutes," Thalia started in a tired tone, expecting Reyna's words before she had even said them. They were trying to avoid another long argument about being messy and Reyna appreciated it— she was tired herself.

"Fine," she answered curtly pushing past the group to get to the coffee machine to make herself her fourth cup for the day. She realised it was four in the afternoon and that wasn't exactly healthy, but coffee make brain go brr and thoughts go vroom, so. But she honestly was trying to cut down on her coffee intake, occasionally exchanging it for some tea.

"Okay, here's a crazy idea— why don't I do it?" Percy said, and Reyna could see him holding his arms open excitedly from the corner of her eyes.

Thalia scoffed, twisting something in their hands and Reyna realised it was the lens of a camera.

"No, no, it's a great idea, actually," Annabeth started. "Percy's really photogenic. And— I mean, you can do great things with his hair now."

"It's true!" Percy exclaimed.

Reyna was now invested in their conversation and she turned around as she waited for her coffee, watching as Percy released his hair from the small bun and ruffled it until it fell in waves, framing his jawline and sharp cheekbones beautifully. He hadn't cut his hair since the first time she had met him and it had grown out quite well and honestly, it did look great on him.

"Sure, your hair's great, but you wouldn't look nice in a silk dress..." Thalia grimaced, pulling their right inner cheek between their teeth, chewing on it in thought. They looked pretty stressed out.

"Excuse me— I would look incredible in a silk dress, thank you very much!" Percy genuinely sounded offended and Annabeth had to place a gentle hand on his bicep to soothe him.

"Percy, purple's not your colour."

He was silent for a few seconds and then sighed in defeat. "Okay, you're right. But I'm pulling back my offer only because the dress is purple."

"Oh, absolutely!" Thalia smirked playfully at him, pulling the camera up to their eyes and snapping a picture of him sticking his tongue out at them.

"Okay... here's another crazy idea," Annabeth started, snapping her fingers and sending Thalia a tentative grin.

"No."

"Come on! It's perfect, Thal, just—"

" _Annie, no_!" Thalia replied through gritted teeth.

"Just ask her."

"I'll just do it myself."

"You're not gonna wear a silk dress and stand on the edge of a roof. That's gonna give you a whole year's worth of anxiety."

Thalia groaned in frustration, smacking their head against the cabinet behind them. "What other option do I have?"

Annabeth's eyes turned to Reyna, both her hands pointing at her and Reyna suddenly felt on the spot. She probably shouldn't have been listening in but she was. And putting two and two together, she figured Thalia needed to take picture of someone for a project, and she was extremely averse to the idea of taking picture of Reyna. It wasn't exactly hurtful as much as it was angering.

Annabeth was practically flailing her arms in Reyna's direction and the two friends seemed to be having a silent argument between them for a good, awkward twenty seconds until Annabeth smirked smugly and Thalia smacked their head against the cabinet again.

Then, they turned to Reyna, their face expressionless, and in a quick, mumbling tone, they asked: "Can you model for a few pictures for one of my assignments for my photography class that's due tomorrow morning?"

It was clear they were incredibly reluctant to do it. But they were also stressed and extremely low on time and honestly looked pretty desperate, and Reyna had no idea how to answer. Mostly because Thalia looked like they would rather have any other person standing on the other side of their camera and just out of spite, Reyna wanted to decline.

But it also seemed like the perfect timing to confront Thalia. And it had to be done. They couldn't live in such close proximities with any more awkwardness at this point. The tension was unbearable and especially since she had absolutely no idea what had caused that tension to build up so much.

"I have to wear a dress?"

Thalia nodded. "And stand on the roof at sunset— and heels. I have this whole picture that I wanna recreate and yeah, it'd be great if you could, you know, help out." They were rushing their words, still talking in a mumble, almost like they were nervous. No, Reyna was just mistaking it for anxiousness because they had a deadline to meet.

Reyna thought about it for a moment. She wasn't exactly fond of having her picture taken, and she might have been even less fond of wearing dresses and heels. But there was this tugging feeling in her gut, telling her she absolutely had to do this and it was pretty hard to resist.

She forced out a sigh and gave Thalia a quick nod. "Sure, I'll do it."

Thalia let out a sigh of relief, running their fingers back through their hair. "God, thank you!" They clapped their hands together in a thankful manner and pointing their fingers in Reyna's direction. "I owe you one. Big time."

Reyna managed to smile at that. "Yeah, you do."

Annabeth was grinning at Thalia suspiciously for some reason but she didn't say anything. She pulled them in for a hug instead and then laced her fingers through Percy's.

"Alright, we'll leave you to it. I'll see you tomorrow, sparky," Annabeth said, giving Thalia's arm a squeeze before pulling Percy out the door.

"BYE, THALS. BYE, REYNA!"

And then the door closed after them and it was just Thalia and Reyna left in the kitchen. Not even her dogs wanted to join them. In their defence, the tension was too thick, she could barely handle it herself.

Thalia cleared their throat, rubbing the back of their neck roughly. "There's like an hour before sunset so... I'm gonna go set up and I'll show you the dress and the colour schemes I'm going with and everything..."

Reyna nodded before hesitating for a second and turning to look at Thalia with a small frown. "I have to wear make-up too, right?"

Thalia nodded, grimacing apologetically. "It's a whole theme but... I promise, it's gonna look beautiful."

Reyna nodded and pushed herself off the counter. "I'll go freshen up, then." She left before Thalia could say another word and dashed to the bathroom, her coffee and studies completely forgotten.

She took a quick shower, keeping her hair dry and when she left the bathroom she found the dress lain on her bed.

She wasn't a big fan of dresses but this one was beautiful, anyone with eyes could see it. It was a soft lilac colour and was made of soft and silky material. It was pretty long and Reyna feared it wouldn't fit her right but as she pulled the thin straps over her shoulders, it fell down to her ankles with the perfect length. She hadn't noticed earlier, but there was an opening on the right leg, up to her thigh. It was quite revealing, but as she stepped into the heels that Thalia had also left by the bed, it all seemed to fit perfectly. And damn it, maybe Reyna would not have missed out on her prom if she had had that dress. She hated that thought but she still couldn't help but think it.

She steppes out of the heels and into a pair of slipper just to make it up the stairs to the roof safely.

She found Thalia standing a good few feet away from the edge, the entire place decorated differently from the last time she had been up here which was months ago.

There were fairy lights hanging from the poles and a few new plants scattered around the place. The old plastic chairs now had pillows to sit on but they were pushed to the side, away from the frame where Thalia had set up their camera on a tripod.

They were looking through the viewfinder at the background and didn't notice Reyna's arrival until they had turned around to make a few adjustments with the setting.

Thalia went absolutely still as soon as they saw Reyna. She expected the shit-eating grin they always shot her every single time they wanted to complement her, the same one they used when they were intimate, but instead, Thalia gave her a soft smile.

They stepped away from the tripod, wiping their hands on their jeans as they stared at Reyna. There wasn't a hint of anything beyond innocence and sincerity in the look they were giving her and Reyna was a little surprised. She was expecting a comment along the lines of "really hot" and other playful yet kinda dirty things. Instead she got a:

"Wow."

Then, Thalia's grin widened and Reyna could tell there was a lot more going on in their head than they were saying out loud. But she still managed to blush and she hated herself for it.

"Purple was made for you," Thalia told her in a small voice that almost sounded shy.

Reyna couldn't tell why Thalia didn't want to do this when they currently looked like they didn't want to have it any other way. Thalia was nothing short of confusing.

Reyna cleared her throat, feeling a little timid and kind of cold as a soft current of air brushed by her. She held her arms in front of her, running her hand over her other arm to warm up just a little, and because she felt incredibly exposed and nervous with Thalia watching her in that dress.

"So, uh, how do you wanna do this?"

"Oh, right!" Thalia snapped out of it, patting their pockets, although they didn't get anything out. "Right, can I— can I do your make-up... if you don't mind? It's just I have a certain vision and—"

Reyna cut them off with a chuckle, already moving to one of the chairs on the side. "Sure, let the artist in you do their thing."

Thalia grinned sheepishly and followed Reyna after grabbing the make-up kit. They brought the other chair closer, sitting right in front of her so that their knees were touching.

Reyna remained quiet the entire time, trying her best to focus on anything other than Thalia's hand on her face, and Thalia's face only inches away from hers. Their hand was holding her chin gently but also firmly, tiling her head back just a little while they used the other to apply the various make-up products.

Any time her gaze shifted to Thalia's face, she could see them frowning in concentration, with their forehead creasing and the tip of their tongue sticking out the corner of their mouth. Their own eyes were contoured with some black eye-liner, bringing out the blue, and even when Thalia wasn't meeting her gaze, she could still feel them piercing into her. No eyes should have been this blue, at least, not without being as icy as the entire continent of Antarctica. But when they looked into Thalia's eyes, she didn't see any of that cold exterior. Instead, it was more like the Pacific, vast and deep and dangerous, and still warm at times, and though it tried to freeze over sometimes, it always ended up melting, and Reyna felt like she could drown in them.

"Are you not breathing?" Thalia interrupted her train of thought with the small question, chuckling softly as their lip quirked up in amusement. They were using a brush to add some sort of powder to her cheeks and when Reyna involuntarily took a breath in response to Thalia's observation, she breathed enough of it in to tickle the back of her nose.

She hadn't even noticed that she was holding her breath and now she was pushing Thalia's hand away from her face as she turned her face to the side to sneeze.

When she was sure her nose was no longer snotty and she could handle breathing normally again, she turned back to face Thalia, her eyes focused on anything but their eyes. Those goddamn blue eyes.

"I'm sorry," she apologised quietly, her eyes looking directly at their nose, and even their nose was just perfect, small, straight, and peppered with freckles.

Thalia chuckled again, holding her by the chin between their thumb and index to continue applying the product. "S'okay," the hummed softly.

Reyna closed her eyes as Thalia kept working to avoid any further incidents, feeling the soft strokes of a brush against her cheeks and the coldness of the liquid eyeliner running around her eyes. At some point, Thalia used their fingers, using just a tiny bit of pressure to apply whatever colour they were going for around her eyes. And with her eyes closed, Reyna could remember the days where she had Thalia cover up her neck whenever they had marked her just a little too harshly, which of course, she never minded at the time. Alex never did mark her like that.

She could smell the faint scent of cigarettes on their fingertips and a mixture of the Old Spice fragrance they liked to use and baked goods from the hours spent at their job decorating cakes. It was an odd mixture of smells, especially one to be associated with the likes of Thalia Grace. But it was also distinctly Thalia and Reyna seemed to be enjoying it a lot more than was reasonable.

Finally, Thalia leaned back, though they kept their fingers lightly under Reyna's jaw. "And we're done..."

Reyna blinked her eyes open, finding Thalia standing a little farther away, but watching her face closely. Their face was much softer now, adorned by a small grin. They pulled their phone out and snapped a quick picture of Reyna before she could protest and then turned their screen around so she could see.

They hadn't used a lot of make-up, which Reyna appreciated. The colours they'd chosen matched the dress perfectly. Shades of pink and purple and black. Except for the area around her eyes where Thalia had spent most of their time and effort on and— Jesus, Reyna could have almost mistaken their eyelid for a canvas. The skin around her eyes was turned into a sky, the colours matching those of the sunset melting into the ocean perfectly. Pink and purple and gold, with a small white blob that was possibly a cloud.

The make-up they had used had a little bit of a shimmering effect to it but Reyna honestly didn't mind. She didn't want to sound conceited but fuck it, Thalia made her look good. Really good actually.

She genuinely couldn't understand how anyone could look at a person like they would rather be seeing anything other than them for one second, and then go ahead and turn them into an entire art project the next second. Thalia was going to give her a whiplash with all this confusion.

"We should probably start with the trial pics. The sunset's pretty short and I don't wanna miss it," Thalia told her as they closed the make up bag and got up to their feet to make their way back to the tripod.

Reyna nodded absentmindedly, still in awe of her own picture. She shook herself out of the trance and put Thalia's phone to the side for a second as she went to exchange her slippers for the heels.

As she got up to make her way to the area that Thalia had set up for the shoot, their phone buzzed in her hand and Reyna had almost completely forgotten that it wasn't her phone. And she didn't mean to look and read the message, but it was right there.

 _Wise Girl: text me if you need an escape. love youuuu. you're gonna ace that project!!!_ 💗💓💓💓💗💓💓💓💓💕💓💗💕💗💗💞💕💓💗💞💓

_Wise Girl: oh and send the edited pics when ur done i wanna seeeeeeeee_

"Hey, Reyna, how close to the edge do you think you can stand before your heart drops to your ass?"

Reyna looked up, feeling some heat rushing up her arms and neck, trying to process Thalia's question. She walked over to them, handing them their phone back and then glancing at the edge, suddenly remembering that they wanted her to stand near the edge.

Thalia looked at their phone for a second, typing a quick message before slipping it in their back pocket and looking up at Reyna expectantly. She couldn't stop thinking about what that message probably meant and why Thalia would want an escape. And she was also wondering what Thalia had probably replied with. _Save me_? Or, _nah, we're good?_

"Reyna...?"

Reyna looked back up at Thalia, suddenly feeling extremely exposed. She felt a shiver run up her spine and through her limbs and she closed off her arms trying to rub some warmth through her skin.

"Uh...," she turned to look at the edge. It was pretty high, but there was a ledge that reached just above the level of her waist and Reyna was pretty sure she could climb on top if it weren't for the heels. She was confident in her balance, and she was good with heights. But that didn't mean she was an idiot. "Pretty close."

Thalia's face had lost some of its colour and Reyna frowned a little, wondering if it had anything to do with that 'escape' they probably needed.

"You sure you're okay with that?"

Reyna nodded, walking over to the ledge, peaking down below at the busy street of New York.

"Hey— you can move away from the ledge, it's cool."

Reyna turned around, seeing Thalia visibly swallow hard as they watched Reyna carefully, their face contorted with worry lines and what looked like fear. Except, Reyna had never seen fear on Thalia so she couldn't exactly be sure.

"It's okay, it's pretty safe," Reyna reassured them but Thalia's skin was still as white as a sheet of paper. "Are _you_ okay?"

Thalia started nodding their head but then it turned into a shake. "No, uh, I'm not really good with heights, actually," they admitted, running their palms over the side of their jeans. "It's worse when I'm standing close, of course, but, sometimes if I see someone else standing close to the edge, it can also trigger it a little. Especially if it's someone I care about. But it's okay. I'm good. We're good. You're not going to fall to your death and we're gonna get these pictures and then move a safe distance away from the edge. But, you know, I can work with perspectives. It's not that much more work, so you can stand a little bit farther from the edge if you want."

"Thalia..." Reyna said, blinking a little in surprise as she tried to process all the words that had just been vomited out of Thalia's system. Did they say... _someone they care about?_ So... they did care about her...?

"Yeah?"

"You're ranting..." Reyna told them in a soft voice. "Are you having another panic attack?"

Thalia shook their head but they were still fidgety and looking pretty uncomfortable so Reyna took a few safe steps away from the ledge.

But it still didn't make sense. Thalia had a crippling fear of heights?

"Why do you spend so much time up here if you're scared of heights?" She asked them while they were busy looking through the viewfinder on their camera, adjusting the settings.

"I like risks. I feel like— I don't know. There's an adrenaline rush. Like my fight or flight response is like active and I'm choosing to stay here. To fight. It's a way of knowing that I kind of have control over this one thing that would normally be the one controlling me, and in turn, it's like— it's kind of like I have some sort of control over the fucking mess that is my life. And if I'm not afraid, if I'm facing my fear, up here, it can't possibly overpower me and win, can it?"

Thalia was looking through their camera lens the entire time they were answering, and the camera was directly pointing at Reyna, so indirectly, Thalia was looking right at her. They were being open and vulnerable and honest for the first time in weeks and Reyna was caught off guard. She didn't notice the first picture being snapped.

"It's funny, really," Thalia continued, taking a step back to look at the camera's screen before leaning back into place. "Coz I'm always, just constantly terrified."

They snapped another picture. Reyna wasn't sure if she was supposed to be posing, but Thalia wasn't exactly giving her any indications so she just stood there, watching Thalia as they opened to her from behind the lens. Maybe it was easier for them, speaking to her reflected image instead of the real person. But Reyna understood. It was hard to admit these things.

"It's like, I'm scared one day it might get to me, and I won't make it another day, you know? And it's not personal. I don't care what happens to me. I just— I'm scared for Jason, because, it's my job to make sure he's okay. And Annabeth. She's been through as much shit as all of us, but she's better at hiding it. And even Percy. The things I'd do for that idiot. But— don't tell him I said that. His ego couldn't handle it. But what I'm saying is— like, I don't wanna wake up one day and not be...

"I feel like I'm on the verge of breaking, but if I do, I won't be the one who's hurt, but everyone else. And I couldn't live with myself if that happened, coz I know how it feels."

Reyna had an idea of what they were talking about. They'd lost their best friend, after he had taken his own life when they were fifteen. And they knew their mother had also indirectly taken her own life in more ways than one. It was probably taking a lot of their power not to lose their inner battles.

She felt like she finally understood them just a tiny bit better.

Reyna had no idea how she was supposed to answer them. There wasn't anything she could have possibly said that was _right._ But Thalia didn't seem to need her to say anything. So she stood there quietly, watching them carefully as they took pictures of her.

Thalia stepped away from the camera again and looked up at Reyna, their expression unreadable. "Would you mind letting your hair loose?"

Reyna didn't object, moving her hand up to pull the hair tie from her hair. She ran her fingers through her long braid, loosening every plait until her hair was falling over her shoulders in soft waves and Thalia captured the moment. There was a small breeze, blowing her hair all over the place, but for once, she didn't have the urge to pull it back and tame it.

Thalia didn't say anything else for another few minutes as they snapped picture after picture, occasionally giving Reyna a small instruction. Look to the side, drop your arm just a little. Sideways. It was too quiet for Reyna's comfort, after Thalia's heartfelt rant.

"So, what's the topic for this project?" She asked them, trying to keep a casual conversation going.

"Uh... there isn't one. We just had to be creative in showing off our fortes... kind of," Thalia explained, brushing their hair back with their fingers before taking yet another picture.

"And you chose to take pictures of me?"

The sun was already setting and the sky above was beautiful. They only had another few minutes before it would be too dark to take pictures. At least, the ones Thalia wanted.

Thalia looked up at Reyna a little hesitantly. "Just the whole..." they waved their hand in their at everything and nothing. "Scenery, I guess. Not you specifically." Their words sounded a little rushed.

"The dress fit me perfectly," Reyna pointed out but Thalia just shrugged, like it wasn't an important detail.

"Just lucky."

It wasn't. It wasn't just lucky. And it certainly was an important detail. It wasn't hard to figure out that Thalia had chosen that dress specifically for Reyna, and they had chosen this entire project for Reyna to be their muse, if you will. Even if they were pretty reluctant about it in the first place.

"Can I ask you something then?"

"Shoot," Thalia answered, changing a setting in their camera. "Can you turn just a tiny bit to the right— my right. Great, thanks."

"Why didn't you want to ask me at first?"

Thalia was silent for another few seconds as they took a picture and then they spent a few seconds, focused on detaching the camera from the tripod and changing angles.

"I didn't think you'd say yes," they finally answered in a quiet voice, stepping a little closer to Reyna, their footsteps careful and hesitant. She had never seem them walk so carefully before.

Reyna thought about it for a moment and if it weren't for the opportunity to get to confront them, originally, maybe they were right, she wouldn't have said yes. But then again, she was sure Thalia would have found a way to convince her to agree to this.

"We haven't exactly been getting along recently," Thalia chuckled, more bitter than sweet. They crouched down, getting closer to the ground, and angling the camera back before taking another picture.

"You haven't exactly been making it easy," Reyna retorted, using her hand to brush her hair behind her ear.

"Stop— don't move a muscle..." Thalia exclaimed, leaning back into a sitting position with their legs spread out in front of them. Reyna stopped moving, standing absolutely still like a deer in the headlights, and a shiver ran down her spine as Thalia looked at her with their blue eyes, making it impossible to move anyway, despite the goosebumps that rose all long her arms and the breeze that pushed past her, sending her hair flying in front of her face, and Thalia took the picture.

"You're right..." Thalia continued, watching Reyna through their viewfinder. "But that's not fair," they added in a voice that was just above a whisper and if Reyna hadn't been so close, she might have missed it.

She furrowed her eyebrows at Thalia, wondering how on earth it was unfair when they were the ones who were all over the place, driving her absolutely mad. She wanted to ask them as confusion and anger bubbled up in her but Thalia was pushing themselves up to their feet and walking toward her.

And then, they were in her space, their face as white as a sheet and their breathing shallow but they were standing there, despite their fear of heights, and they were reaching up with their hand and placing their fingers under her chin, tilting it to their liking. They ran their fingers with a featherlight touch across her cheek, moving her hair away from her face in the process. Their hand lingered just under her jaw for a moment longer.

"Can I get closeups?" They asked her in a quiet voice, like they were scared of frightening a tiny bird.

Reyna couldn't find her voice so she simply nodded. Thalia took a couple of steps back and held the camera up to their eyes. They took a couple of shots before finally dropping the camera and letting it hang over their chest from the strap around their neck.

They glanced up at the sky for a moment. The colours were melting into a navy blue as the sun was setting faster and the fairy lights above their heads were twinkling even brighter with the absence of natural light.

Thalia let out a small, shaky breath and stepped back toward the tripod, fidgeting nervously with the rings on their fingers. With their absence, Reyna felt the cold autumn air bite at her skin and she wrapped her arms around herself to stay warm. It wasn't working.

"You're miles away," Reyna told them quietly, taking a hesitant step in their direction.

"I'm exactly six feet away," Thalia laughed, taking a second to examine the distance between them to make sure their calculations were right. Reyna rolled her eyes, finally about to open up to them when they interrupted her thoughts. "We're done here. I think I got all the shots I need. You can go back inside, if you want to. I need to tidy up."

It almost sounded like they were kicking her out— well, in.

Thalia didn't move to tidy anything up, though. They pulled their cigarette box from their pocket and a lighter and lit one up.

"You're smoking a lot," Reyna said softly, moving closer toward them. Thalia observed her silently, holding the smoke in for a few seconds before exhaling with a heavy puff. They didn't give her an answer, taking in another puff of smoke instead.

Here they were just a moment earlier, opening up to her and showing her all their most vulnerable sides. And now, she could already see their walls building back up defensively, and there was nothing she could possibly do to penetrate them.

"Okay, then," Reyna sighed, nodding her head in a mixture of upset and confusion, and she walked over to the chairs to get rid of her heels and slip back into the more comfortable slippers.

As she turned around to head back down the fire-escape, they heard Thalia's voice. Hesitant, but clear as day.

"It's a... uh, self-preservation thing."

They weren't looking at her, their eyes trained on the building that was facing theirs. They weren't going to explain further so Reyna continued down the metal stairs until she reached their apartment and jumped through Thalia's bedroom window.

She changed out of the dress and into her pyjamas, and sat back down in bed after neatly laying down the fabric on Thalia's bed, cuddling up to her dogs, her previous homework completely forgotten. She couldn't even begin to think about studying after the past hour.

They had barely even touched or physically interacted, but Reyna could still feel Thalia's hand lingering longer than necessary on her face and she felt her skin warm and her lips tingling.

And she was angry. She was angry at herself for letting Thalia make her feel all these... things. They were meaningless. She knew that. But the weight of Thalia's eyes on her face haunted her thoughts all night long. She was angry at Thalia for being so goddamn infuriating all the time. God, they were giving her a whiplash with how fast they were changing from being open to distant with a wall made of millions of tons of metal. She genuinely had no clue if Thalia liked her or hated her.

And she didn't understand what they meant by "self-preservation." She did, and she didn't.

It was Thalia's answer to her telling then they were miles away. That she was sure of. They had been miles away for weeks, if not months. Farther away than they had ever been with her. But she didn't know what they were protecting themselves from.

From Reyna? From their past? Their fears? Were they all connected?

It couldn't have been certain feelings. It was Thalia. They'd told her themselves numerous times they didn't catch feelings, they didn't get attached, and they had both specifically done everything to keep their friendship platonic and void of unnecessary strings. They couldn't afford to have any of those strings, anyway, because they valued their friendship and ruining it with anything too emotional that will just end up bursting up into flames and swallowing them both up. It was exactly this part of them that rationally, made them an impossible pair. They were both too detached of their emotional sides. They were bound to eventually burst.

And yet she felt like it was her fault that Thalia was being so self-preserved. They were hiding in a shell from her. And she had no idea what.

Thalia didn't come back for another few hours. She didn't see them until the next morning and it was a very brief interaction.

Two days later, when she came back home in the evening with Alex, she found the silk dress on her bed with a folder on top.

"Heh, what's this?" Alex asked as he closed the bedroom door behind them, breathing out a small chuckle.

Reyna didn't answer him as she walked over to the bed and picked up the paper folder. Reyna sat down on the edge of the bed, careful not to crease the dress. When she opened the folder, a small note fell into her lap.

In Thalia's small cursive handwriting, she read the words:

_keep it, it's yours!_

She set the note aside and pulled out the first document inside, a printed out picture that was placed facing downwards. Reyna slowly pulled it out and turned it around. She knew what it was, of course, before seeing, but still, as her eyes fell on the portrait Thalia had taken of her, she still felt the air being sucked out of her lungs.

It was a beautiful picture, one of the first ones they had taken right after they'd asked her to let her hair loose and were basically pouring their heart out to her, capturing her genuine reaction. It was real, and beautiful, and the angle made her look much taller than she actually was, the heels giving her even more height, and the New York skyline behind her bled into the multicoloured sky, matching Reyna's make-up perfectly. She seemed to blend into the background perfectly and stand out at the front at the same time.

"What is it?" Alex asked with a chuckle, walking over toward her and peaking from above her. Reyna handed him the picture without saying a word and pulled out the rest of them.

They were all beautiful. Reyna never thought she could ever take a good picture. But clearly, with the right person, they could make anything work.

The last picture she pulled out was one of the close-ups. Reyna traced her fingers over her face in such high-definition... it was crazy. she was genuinely mind-blown.

Alex let out a low whistle. "These are... amazing. Thalia take these?"

Reyna nodded, her eyes trailing to the other close up picture that had Thalia's hand still holding her face, the tattoos on the back of their hand and their wrist prominent. Laurel leafs, a crescent moon, a broken arrow.

At the bottom of the folder, she found a USB with a small sticker on it that read " _ARTA-224 assgnmt 2 — Reyna_."

There was one finally paper that she hadn't noticed before, stuck to the back of the folder. And when she pulled it out, she realised it was a printed out screenshot of Thalia's grades, and at the very bottom was their most recent assignment highlighted in yellow.

**Creative Assignment 2 | Class Average: 82.45% | Grade: 94% | Feedback: No Comment**

And in Thalia's handwriting, they had drawn a small arrow pointing at the Feedback section and commented " _prof. P's 'no comment' means 'excellent work'."_

Reyna chuckled disbelievingly, shaking her lightly as she placed all the pictures back into the file. She set it down neatly on her nightstand and hung the dress in her closet and then she turned around to find Alex staring at her in wonder.

"What?"

"Nothing, nothing," he chuckled, walking over to her and kissing her cheek. "They're beautiful pictures."

Reyna smiled, finally getting out of her jacket and shoes and they both lay down on the bed, cuddling close while a movie played on her laptop in the background, but all she could really focus on were the pictures on her nightstand and more specifically, the one with Thalia's hand in it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed this new POV and perspective in things, looking from Reyna's side of things. What did you think of her voice? was it distinct from Thalia's or should I work more on it... any constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated, please. thank you! and if you enjoyed it, maybe I could write other chapters form her POV as well!!! 
> 
> anywayyy thank you so much for reading! this means a lot to me and I've grown attached to this story already quite a lot so 🥺 ily guys thank you for being supportive!!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oof this one's a little longer but anyway! enjoy :)

Reyna was sitting at the coffee shop where Alex worked, holding her cup of cafe con leche in both hands as she regarded Alex, sitting on the other side of the small, round table, with an apologetic smile on his face.

He had started talking what felt like an hour ago, the conversation beginning with the weather and this rude customer who had tried to come in without a mask, until they reached the actual topic of conversation that he was trying to get to. He was trying to end things, as nicely as he could, but he kept dancing around the subject without actually jumping into it and it was driving Reyna crazy because she knew exactly where this was going and it was taking way too long.

"Look, what I'm trying to say is—"

"We should break up."

Alex's eyes widened. Was he surprised that Reyna had caught on? He wasn't exactly being subtle about it.

"Right... yeah. Listen, it's nothing personal or anything. You really are amazing. It's just— this was never going to work out in the end. It's not you, it's—"

He was going to use every cliché in the book, wasn't he?

" _It's not you, it's me?_ Are you serious?" Reyna sighed with a roll of her eyes but Alex let out a small chuckle, shaking his head.

"No, actually. It's not me either. It's your roommate."

Well, that she was not expecting.

"Thalia?" She spelled out their name slowly, trying to figure out how they fit into this. It didn't make any sense.

"Yeah, uh, see..." Alex grimaced, his hand shooting up to the back of his neck to rub it nervously. "Well, you know how you're supposed to look at your boyfriend like he makes your world stop spinning or whatever romantic bullshit metaphor you want? Or, at least like you like him? Well, you look at _her_ like that. And also, she's pretty mean to me. She called me a douchebag once. Not to my face, but I heard it."

" _They."_

Alex furrowed his eyebrows at her as she corrected him but he just shook his head, about to continue talking. "Yeah, whatever, and besides—"

"It's not whatever, Alex," Reyna exclaimed, suddenly feeling angry. Honestly, she was taking the break-up pretty well. But now he was being a complete idiot and it was making her really want to lose her cool and smack him. "Thalia uses they/them pronouns. You could at least respect that."

That sentence alone looked like a slap to his face. "That's besides the point. Thalia's pretty unpleasant. And anyway, I thought you didn't like _them."_

He emphasised on the pronoun, using it just to please Reyna but it really sounded like he was mocking it. Reyna really did not appreciate that. And now she was wondering why she had thought dating him for over a month was such a good idea. But in her defence, he had never shown this side of him before.

"They're my friend, Alex."

He let out a chuckle, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms over his chest. "Really? It seems like you're in love."

Reyna took in a deep breath, clenching and unclenching her hands. She pushed her chair back, grabbed her backpack and coffee and stood up, towering over Alex who was looking at her with a look of disbelief.

"I'm really glad we're ending things, actually. Douchebag."

She heard him protest and call her bag as she pushed past the other tables to get to the door, ignoring him completely as she stepped out onto the sidewalk. It wasn't until she had crossed the street that she realised there was a light drizzle. With a heavy sigh, she pulled the hood of her coat over her head and decided to walk the entire way back home to clear her head.

When she got home, she found Thalia sitting in the living room with their laptop open in front of them, working on editing some of their pictures. Aurum and Argentum were lying down on either side of them, taking their midday nap.

The hounds perked up as soon as they sensed Reyna's presence but remained seated, too tired to bother with anything more than a wag of their tails.

Thalia looked up from their place on the couch and shot Reyna the smallest of smiles in acknowledgment. "Hey," they mumbled before returning to their work, playing with the hue and saturation on the landscape picture open in front of them.

"Hi," Reyna replied while getting rid of her coat and hanging it by the door. She kicked off her shoes and pulled off her face mask before joining Thalia in the living room and flopping down on the couch next to Aurum.

Reyna lifted her feet up against the coffee table and leaned her neck back, finally getting to close her eyes and take a deep breath. The walk back home helped her calm down a little, but she was still beyond furious with her now ex-boyfriend. How had she not noticed that he could be such a douche? He said nothing but nice things and was nothing short of considerate for the entire month that they went out. And then he turned out to be an asshole.

She was pretty sure she'd told him about Thalia's preferred pronouns and he hadn't acted that way back then. God, she was an idiot.

She pulled her hair down from its pony tail, letting the hairband snap against her wrist as she ran her fingers through her hair, brushing her nails against her scalp.

"You're home early," Thalia pointed out quietly, seemingly trying to keep small talk going. Maybe to make things less awkward between them. They hadn't sat down in such close proximity to do nothing but hang out as roommates in some time. Well, since they watched that movie a few days before Halloween. It was almost Thanksgiving now.

"Yeah... uh, thought I'd come home and take a nap."

Thalia glanced up at her momentarily, tilting their head a little as they observed her. "Hmm, you look like you need it."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Reyna replied defensively, dropping her hands to her lap to look back at Thalia with narrowed eyes. 

Thalia just shrugged and turned their attention back to their work. "You just look tired, s'all."

"Yeah, long day," she answered, letting out a heavy breath.

Thalia closed their laptop after a few moments of quiet and placed it on the table. They hesitated for a moment and Reyna watched them expectantly until they finally turned around to face her, chewing on their bottom lip until it was left looking raw. Actually, Reyna thought it might have already looked like that as a result of several long hours of being lost in thought.

"Look," Thalia started, tapping their fingers anxiously on their knee. They seemed a lot more agitated than usual. "I know I've been really annoying recently, and you have every right to hate me. But I just wanted to apologise. I've been going through some... stuff. And I wasn't being fair to you. So... yeah, I'm just going to try and be more considerate." And then after a thought and before Reyna could respond, they added, "if you also stop chiding me like I'm a kid."

"If you didn't act like a kid sometimes, I wouldn't have to chide you like you're a kid," Reyna responded before she could even stop herself, which wasn't her at all. But she was still riled up and it kind of felt nice to let some of it out, even though she really did appreciate Thalia's apology.

"Like I said," Thalia chuckle. "I'm going to try and act less childish. And you're gonna stop being so stuck-up about most things."

"I am not stuck-up!" Reyna huffed, crossing her arms in front of her tightly. "I just like things done in a certain way."

Thalia rolled their eyes. "Fine. Fine. My point is. We've got the next week off uni, and I'm going to be going home for the week. I'm guessing you're staying here. Which is going to be very lonely."

"I have my children."

Thalia snorted, grabbing Argentum and giving him a rough petting which he enjoyed more than anything in the world. "Right, but you need human interaction. And Alex the Barista's gonna be with his family, isn't he?"

"Well, yeah, actually, but—"

She was about to tell them they had just broken up, less than an hour ago, but Thalia was still talking animatedly, trying to get their point across.

"So, what I'm suggesting is you come over for Thanksgiving. You don't have to stay all week. I know it'll drive you crazy. But Thanksgiving day itself is just dreadful at home. Just imagine all my siblings in one room with my dad and his wife. Thank fuck the extended family's not invited this year. But there's still going to be a lot of food. And you get bonus points if you bring these guys and let them shit all over Hera's expensive rugs."

"They won't shit on rugs. They're potty trained well..." Reyna told them, scratching her cheek in thought.

"Well... anyway. What do you say?"

Thalia was looking at her hopefully. They wanted her to come and accept the invitation. And maybe it was their way of making it up to her for all the shit they've put her through in the past few weeks. She appreciated it.

"My sister's coming over, over the weekend, actually... but yeah, I guess I could come down on Thursday," Reyna finally agreed and Thalia looked genuinely more excited than she'd ever seen them.

"And stay over till Friday...?"

Reyna looked hesitantly at her dogs, running her fingers through Aurum's fur. "I can't leave them home alone for two days."

"Bring them with you! Jason will have a field day, Hera will be pissed off. They'll really enjoy the garden! It's a win-win-win situation!"

Thalia was grinning hopefully and Reyna took a moment to mull over the plan in her head. It seemed like a pretty good idea. Although she didn't exactly mind staying home alone, and her sister Hylla was coming over on Saturday anyway, it did seem like a bummer that she would have to stay alone for a week, even if she did have Aurum and Argentum and Netflix to keep her company. It was a good idea, except for the part where Thalia's parents were kind if scary from what they'd described to her and she didn't want to have to face their wrath if her dogs were disruptive.

But finally, she held her hands up in defeat and with a small sigh, she nodded her head. Thalia threw their fists up triumphantly, beaming in excitement. "Okay... yeah. We'll meet you there on Thursday and leave Friday morning."

"Evening."

"Afternoon."

"Deal."

Reyna was sitting in her bed when her sister called to have their weekly "catch-up" phone calls. It became a tradition when Hylla first left for college four years ago. She would call Reyna every Saturday morning to check up on her and ask about life at home. Reyna was never interested in telling her how life at school was - same as usual, boring - or how their parents were - their dad, angry as always, and their mom, always cold and detached. She was always more interested in asking her sister about her life at college. How many parties she went to, how many cute boys she had met. What her classes were like. What living alone was like. When Reyna moved away to college and Hylla had started working — conveniently, she now resided in Brooklyn — they had changed the day to match their schedules better. Wednesday nights seemed to work better for them both.

Hylla was ranting about something that had happened at the office she managed, mixing sentences in English and Spanish as she got more animated and riled up. Reyna couldn't follow her story though. She was staring at her self-portrait hanging just above her desk. The close-up with Thalia's hand on her chin. She wasn't sure why she had hung it up, but it seemed right. But it took everything in her power not to spend hours overthinking everything that had occurred when that picture was taken and everything that had happened after and how the dress that Thalia had given her was exactly her size, and a colour that matched her features perfectly, and they had an entire photoshoot prepared with her in mind. And even when Thalia had denied it, she knew it was the truth. After all, they did let her keep the dress. It was still hanging in the back of her closer where she couldn't see it, but it was there and she could practically feel it pulling her toward it like gravity every time she was in her room with no distractions or lost in her own thoughts.

"Hey— escúchame, idiot!"

Reyna turned her attention back to the phone that was put on loudspeaker as her sister groaned in frustration, asking Reyna to listen to her.

"I am!" She lied, letting out a small sigh as she busied herself with her braid. She tended to play with her braid a lot whenever she lied.

"Lies. I just told you Kenzie killed a guy and you didn't even react!"

Reyna blinked at her phone in confusion. "When did you say that?"

Hylla groaned again. "See? You're not listening. What's up?"

Reyna thought about it for a moment before finally deciding it was best just to ask Hylla on her opinion. She was good at giving advice... usually. "Hylla, you like fashion, right?"

"It's not like it's the field that I work in or anything!" She responded sarcastically and Reyna fought the urge to roll her eyes, until she remembered Hylla couldn't see her and she did actually roll her eyes.

"Yeah, whatever. I need your opinion on this dress I have... one second, I'm sending you a picture." Reyna opened her messages with Hylla and scrolled through her photos until she found one of the full-length pictures Thalia had taken. Yes, she had downloaded the pictures from the USB to her phone. They were nice pictures, okay? She sent the picture to Hylla and just a second later Hylla was letting out a high-pitched whistle.

"Where on earth did you get a dress like that on your student bank account that I'm betting is almost empty?"

Reyna laughed, mostly because her sister was right. After the whole coming-out incident, her dad had basically stopped her monthly allowance, which she was fine with. Her grades were good enough to get her that internship job which actually paid well and her mom had sort of come to terms with it, meaning she was completely in denial, and was still sending her just enough allowance to last her the month.

"I didn't buy it myself. It was a gift... of sorts," Reyna explained and Hylla let out a choked our sound.

"Did you get yourself a sugar daddy or something? Which is totally fine, by the way! Just tell me how you did it."

Reyna buried her face in her hands but she couldn't help but laugh loudly at that notion. Her? Getting a Sugar Daddy? Yeah, right. "No, it was Thalia."

"Thalia, your roommate Thalia?" Hylla asked after a few quiet seconds.

"Yes, I don't know any other Thalias, Hylla," Reyna said with a small sigh.

Hylla let out a small hum, a sign that she was thinking deeply about this. "Their dad's pretty rich, right?"

"Yeah, but they're financially independent," Reyna explained and then, she could no longer ignore thought she'd been dreading this entire time. "It's a really expensive dress, isn't it?"

"I'm not entirely sure. I mean, it looks like it could be a designer dress. The quality looks great. But I'd have to get an actual look at it to know," Hylla answered, trying to ease Reyna's worries. "What's on the tag?"

Reyna had already checked hundreds of times. There was no tag. She wasn't sure if it was removed or if it came without one, but either way, it was impossible to know where that dress came from without asking Thalia directly.

"There isn't one," Reyna informed Hylla. tracing over the floral pattern on her bedsheets absentmindedly.

"I could do some digging," Hylla offered. "Try and find the designer for you. A job that good had to be made some place professional."

It was the only reasonable explanation of course. But there was nothing that was ever reasonable with Thalia. She was certain that Hylla would not be able to find who had designed the dress because it wasn't some professional designed. She knew it was Thalia. They might not have made the actual dress, but it was definitely their design.

The next morning, after a lot of begging, Hylla let Reyna borrow her car. She loaded both dogs in the back and a backpack with an extra pair of clothes. Just before she pulled out of the driveway, she texted Thalia to make sure their family knew she was coming with two dogs. Thalia's wasn't too reassuring.

_Thalia Grace: sure! dad loves dogs!_

That did not answer her question but she pulled the gearshift into Drive and started down the road, using her memory from the last time she'd been there with Thalia. She had to follow the map on her phone once she had reached the area but it was otherwise a pretty pleasant and easy drive.

Reyna was still in awe as she drove past the large gates and followed the actual _signs_ that led to the visitors' parking area. She wondered how many parties they had here, at least, before the pandemic. It wouldn't have been too generous to assume that last year's thanksgiving was packed with family and others.

She parked her sister's small compact car between a yellow sports car with a license plate that read IM AWESOME with a zero instead of an O and a three instead of the E's, obviously Apollo's car, and a much less vibrant, normal looking black car, except upon closer inspection, she realised it was a very expensive E-car.

She was really glad Thalia wasn't anything like their family. She spotted her motorcycle parked to the side next to another, much larger bike.

With a little shaky breath, she unbuckled her seatbelt and stepped out of the car, her boots crunching over the gravel. Reyna opened the backdoor, grabbing her dogs by their leashes and commanded them to stay by her side as she grabbed her belongings and locked the car.

They were pretty good dogs. At home, they tended to be dramatic and attention-seekers, but that was because they were comfortable. She had trained them pretty well. In fact, she had gone trough an entire book of guard-dog training on them white successfully, and they loved Reyna enough to be extremely alert and protective whenever they were anywhere new. They stood by her side, ears perked up, and tails steady for once in their lives.

As Reyna was slipping the car keys into her pocket, she noticed her dogs tensing, and when she looked up at the entrance of the house — or mansion, in the distance, she saw Thalia's distinctive figure running down the steps and in her direction.

" _Calce,"_ Reyna ordered them to heel and started walking toward Thalia to meet them halfway.

"Hey, you made it!" They exclaimed excitedly once they were close enough to hear each other without yelling. Reyna noticed how hard her dogs were trying to remain calm as they saw a familiar face they loved dearly. It was cute. Thalia grinned widely as they saw the dogs and crouched to their level, but they didn't make a move toward them, so Thalia pouted and looked at Reyna like she had personally wounded them. "Can you tell them to give me hugs?"

Reyna rolled her eyes but still, with an amused smirk she turned to her dogs and signalled to them that it was okay. They didn't waste a single second before jumping over Thalia, almost pushing them all the way to the ground. Thalia didn't seem to mind, giggling at all the attention they were getting from Aurum and Argentum.

"Are you sure you're not feeding them treats behind my back?" Reyna joked, still watching the dogs trying to wrestle Thalia to the ground. Thalia's head poked out between the two dogs and the sheepish grin they gave her was anything but comforting.

"Maybe..." they responded, letting out a nervous laugh that instantly turned into a fit of giggles again as Argentum attacked their face with his tongue.

Reyna had rarely ever heard Thalia actually giggle, unless it had something to do with the dogs or their favourite television show, and it really was a sight for sore eyes. She couldn't help but beam happily at the picture before her.

Thalia finally managed to escape and pull themselves up to their feet and pat their pants clean of dirt. They looked at Reyna with a little crooked grin, and they looked happy for the first time in weeks.

"Hi," Reyna told them with a small laugh which Thalia returned.

"Hello." Thalia's hair was pulled away from their face with a baseball cap worn backwards. They were dressed comfortably in a pair of black denim jeans ripped at the knees and a baby blue hoodie that matched their painted nails, bringing out their eyes brightly as they crinkled with their smile. Reyna was pretty sure she had never seen them wearing a colour as bright as that blue. It was probably their brother's hoodie, but either way. It looked really good on them.

Reyna was also wearing jeans herself. Thalia had told her she didn't have to dress-up, but Reyna wasn't exactly comfortable dressing-down, so she played it safe with a business-casual black round-neck sweater.

"So, everyone's actually outside right now. We're playing football until it's lunch time. Well, not everyone. Dad won't leave his room till then, and Hera's gonna be fussing over every single detail in the dining room even though it's literally just us. I mean, my uncle's here but he's about as messy as they get. Take Percy... and then multiply that by a hundred. That's my uncle." Thalia was ranting excitedly, moving their hands animatedly as they led the way round the back toward the backyard where faint screams could be heard.

Reyna followed them quietly with her dogs, mostly busy admiring her surroundings that left her awestruck and speechless. She wasn't new to riches. Her mother came from a wealthy family. She has met Nico and Hazel's dad. They also had a huge house, and Nico even had a personal chauffeur which he never even asked for, but it was his dad's way of trying to make up for being so emotionally detached. But she had never met anyone as rich as Thalia's dad. Their house reminded her of museums.

As they reached the backyard, she noticed Jason first, holding a football in his hands and hurling it as far as he could in Apollo's direction, standing all the way on the other side of the olympic size pool in the middle. It didn't look like he was going to make it, but he did. Apollo was really close to falling face first in the water, though he caught himself at the last second.

Aurum and Argentum instantly tensed up by her side at the sight of new people, and it din't make it any better when Apollo suddenly dropped the ball and yelled out: "DOGS!" before running as fast as his legs allowed him in their direction.

Argentum started growling, pulling his ears back as Apollo approached them but he started slowing down, his smile dropping, which was pretty smart.

Reyna commanded them to quiet down as they were joined by Jason and Thalia's older sister Artemis and her friend Zoë.

"This was Thalia's idea, wasn't it?" Artemis asked, an unpleasant look on her face like she knew something was about to go wrong.

"I told dad," Thalia said defensively. "Kind of. I wrote him an email this morning."

Jason actually face-palmed. "You know that means he won't read it till tomorrow or Monday."

"Hera's gonna piiiiiiiissseeeeeeeeed...." Apollo said in a sing-song voice.

Thalia didn't look apologetic. Reyna sometimes really wondered what the fuck was going on in that bead of theirs. It never made any sense.

"They're awesome dogs, don't worry," Thalia reassured them, waving their hand in the air. Though they were right, Reyna was still worried.

"May I?" Zoë, of all people, asked, looking up at Reyna to meet her gaze for permission to pet the dogs.

"Sure," Reyna gave her a small smile before turning to her dogs who were still high on alert. " _Tranquillo_ ," she told them in a soft voice. The dogs didn't calm down instantly but as Zoë's hand approached them, they remained absolutely still and pretty tense.

"What are their names?" Zoë asked, glancing up at Reyna as she had crouched down to dogs' level, a small smile playing on her face. Reyna could definitely see why she was Thalia's first real crush and how she could still make them flustered to this day.

"That's Aurum," Thalia answered first, pointing at the dog with the golden mane, "And the one you're petting is Argentum."

"Latin for silver and gold," Artemis translated, letting a small and impressed laugh. "Nice."

"Wait, you speak Latin?" Jason turned to her, his blue eyes wide in awe. Reyna noticed how similar to Thalia's they were, and yet so different all at the same time. They looked the same, physically. But Jason's matched those of a small puppy's, unlike Thalia's.

Reyna felt a little bit self-conscious now with all eyes on her. "Uh, yeah. A little."

Thalia turned to her her fast, their mouth wide open. "Wait, you _actually_ speak Latin? I thought it was just some fancy dog commands that you learned for quirky points."

"Quirky points?" Reyna repeated, cringing at their choice of words.

Thalia shrugged their shoulders and just crouched down next to Zoë to hug Aurum tightly. Aurum was still a little tense but his tail wagged and he insisted on licking their face. At this point, Reyna figured they were Thalia's dogs as much as they were hers. At least, they loved them just as much.

"That's really impressive," Apollo was saying and Reyna did not like the smirk that was playing on his face. He was leaning back on his heels, arms folded over his chest, his biceps protruding just a little and Reyna had to fight off the urge to actually gag.

Thalia was related to this guy? Seriously? Sure, Thalia was cocky... a lot of the time. But they weren't this... well, repulsive. There was no other word for it.

"You know—" Apollo started saying but he was shoved on the shoulder by Artemis.

"Don't even think about it, you pig."

Apollo started complaining defensively but one glare from his twin sister shut up him nicely. Thalia chuckled and glanced up, meeting Reyna's gaze. They sent her a subtle wink, making Reyna smile back at them.

There was a small lull as the attention was all diverted to the dogs until Jason got too antsy and ran over to his brother, grabbing the football from him and started running the length of the yard.

"GO LONG!" He called out behind his back and to her surprise it was Thalia that jumped up to their feet, pushing their sleeves up to their elbows as they started running backwards in the opposite direction until Jason tossed the ball in the air. It rolled for a good few seconds before Thalia jumped up and caught it easily in their hands. Unfortunately, their fall wasn't so... _graceful_ , one would say.

They rolled over the grass with a small groan but were up on their feet again in a matter of seconds, clutching the ball tightly in their hands.

Reyna noticed their baseball cap had fallen to the ground so she bent down to pick it up and wipe the dirt off. She walked over to them, handing Thalia their cap back.

"Thanks," they grinned as they took their hat back and placed it over their head the right way around this time. "Wanna play?"

Reyna was really glad she had decided to wear her sneakers and not uncomfortable flats. "Sure," she agreed and started running the other way. Naturally, Aurum and Argentum followed her at full speed.

They all started playing, scattered around the backyard and tossing the ball between them without any real rules. Reyna was quite familiar with how football was played and the way the Graces were playing it was definitely not the usual way. But it was still fun, and even the dogs got participation points, as long as they didn't jump on anyone. Which they did quite a lot.

Halfway through the game, Jason was running at full speed to try and catch the ball and both Aurum and Argentum followed him, tails wagging and tongues out in the air. They jumped on him, pushing him to the ground and pinned him down with their collective weight. Jason was left in a fit of giggles as they kept head-butting him and licking his face.

Reyna was laughing but Jason was still immobilised and probably suffocating, even if he was giggling so she ran up to him and whistled for her dogs. They paid her no attention.

" _Aurum, Argentum,"_ she tried again, through her laughter. " _Descendo."_

It took another try of commanding them to get off Jason but eventually they did. She told them to sit and they did — with an actual attitude. Yeah, her dogs had attitude.

Jason pushed himself up to his feet while still trying to control his laughter.

"Good boys," he told them, giving them each a pat on the head.

"It's _bene_ , in Latin," Reyna explained and Jason repeated the word to them, the dogs' tails instantly wagging in excitement.

The glass doors slid open then and they all turned around to see who it was. Reyna saw a tall man with dark shaggy hair appear, dressed in khakis and a Hawaiian shirt appear first and an even taller man standing behind him. The resemblance of the first man to Percy was striking, with his lazy smile and the swoop of his hair. The man behind him was much more rigid, a tired and bored look on his face. It wasn't hard to figure out who he was.

"Your favourite uncle's here," the first man announced, opening his arms wide. "Was that Latin I heard? Eugh, horribly difficult language, and for _what_?"

Thalia grinned, lifting their hands up in the air with an eager nod. "Exactly, thank you!"

"It's a very respectable language, brother. Don't be so ignorant," Thalia's dad huffed behind him. He stepped outside, hands in the pockets of his trousers, and regarded Reyna and her dogs carefully. "Thalia, I read your email. I don't know what your plan is, but I urge you not to do anything reckless."

Thalia was about to protest but Poseidon clasped his hands together, rubbing them excitedly. "Turkey time, kids!"

"The dogs are going to have to stay outside," Zeus said in a voice that told Reyna she did not want to find out the consequences if she disobeyed.

"Sure," she smiled politely and turned to Aurum and Argentum. "Stay," she ordered them in Latin and the dogs instantly sat down on their hind legs as the rest of the group started walking inside.

"Don't worry, we'll sneak them upstairs at night," Thalia whispered in her ear before dashing past her and inside the house, followed by Jason.

"You speak Latin fluently?"

Reyna was surprised to hear Thalia's dad addressing her. She was even more surprised to note just how tall he really was up close. He was walking beside her, almost an entire foot taller than her. She had to crane her neck to see his bearded face and meet his eyes.

"Yes, I took it as an extracurricular course in school and it was interesting to read the works of Virgil or Ovid in the original translation. Well— the untranslated version, technically," Reyna explained, just a little thankful Thalia was out of earshot because they would have made fun of her for the rest of the year.

"And you trained your dogs in Latin," Zeus noted, running a hand through his beard pensively. Reyna nodded.

"It's effective."

Zeus nodded in agreement. "Beautiful hounds." And with that, he kept walking ahead, rounding the corner toward the dining room. Reyna found Thalia in one of the guest bathrooms in the hall washing their hands and she followed after them to do the same.

"He didn't say anything rude, did he?"

"Not as rude as you would have," Reyna replied with a teasing grin. It earned her a playful shove to the side as Thalia dried their hands with a small towel and then threw it at her face. Reyna laughed quietly as she shut off the sink and patted her hands dry with the towel.

They walked toward the dining room then where a large table with way too much food to feed the group was sprawled all over it. Thalia's father had already taken a seat at the head of the table. An elegant woman with long black hair cascading down her back sat to his left. Her face was regal with an unapproachable beauty, and Reyna could definitely see why Thalia disliked her so much. She was already sneering at everyone, and especially Thalia. They hadn't even done anything yet.

"Thalia, I like this friend of yours a lot better than those other fiends you hang out with all the time," Zeus started and Reyna wasn't sure if it was his attempt at humour or not but Thalia was laughing as they pulled a chair at the other end of the table and sat down. They patted the seat next to them, signalling for Reyna to sit down.

"Dad, one of those fiends is your nephew," they pointed out with a little amused chuckle. Reyna noticed as she was sitting down the scowl on Hera's face only deepen.

"Such a rude kid," she grumbled under her breath.

Poseidon, who was sitting directly facing her, dropped his fork in his plate with a clatter and pointed a finger in her face. "Are you talking shit about my son?"

Hera scoffed and rolled her eyes at her brother-in-law. "Do you have to be so vulgar while we eat?"

"No one's eating yet," Thalia replied with a crooked grin that seemed to double Hera's irritation.

Lunch with the Graces certainly did not make Reyna miss her own family's gatherings. It was loud, and everyone was almost always at each other's throats, and incredibly awkward for Reyna to sit there and eat her food— which was great, at least.

Reyna got to have a few words in between some of the screaming matches, mostly with Jason who was asking her some oddly specific questions. The weirdest one yet was a question on wether or not she's ever been drunk enough to mistake a toilet with a bathtub. Jason was laughing really hard before he had even asked the whole question. It was followed by another screaming match before Reyna could even respond because Thalia had shot him a glare and kicked his leg under the table hard enough to bring tears to his eyes.

Reyna figured the question was somehow related to Thalia because if their reaction. It sort of felt like Jason was interrogating her and she had no idea why. It freaked her out a little, actually.

After lunch, everyone went their separate ways. Thalia motioned for Reyna to follow them and they led the way back outside where Aurum and Argentum were waiting. They had found a stick and were playing a game of tug of war with it. But the game was long forgotten as soon as they spotted Thalia and Reyna.

Thalia turned to look at her, a question stuck at the tip of of their tongue. They were a little hesitant to ask and it only made Reyna ten times more curious.

"What is it?" She asked with a small laugh, dropping to her dogs' level to pet them.

"Can I show you something?" Thalia asked a little shyly, which, of course, came as a shock to Reyna. Thalia was rarely ever shy.

"It depends..." she joked, shooting them a small grin. "Am I going to like that something?"

Thalia tilted their head to the side in thought. adjusting the cap on their head. "I think so," they finally said with a small smile. "We'll have to walk there, though."

"That's okay, I like a good walk," Reyna told them. Reyna attached her dogs to their leashes and followed Thalia to the driveway.

As they made their way out onto the main street, Thalia offered to walk one of the dogs so Reyna handed them one of the two leashes. They ended up picking Argentum's, and they kept on walking side by side, occasionally stopping when one of the dogs had to pee on a lamppost or sniff a particularly smelly spot on the ground.

"So, what's new in Reyna world?" Thalia asked, attempting to start a small and casual conversation. It seemed a little forced, but Reyna at least appreciated the effort. They hadn't tried to talk to her in weeks before deciding to apologise and invite her over for the holidays.

"Nothing much," Reyna said, placing their free hand in the pocket of their coat. There was a lot of new in her life that she hadn't told Thalia about yet, but she wasn't exactly in the mood to talk about her ex just yet. She still couldn't believe she had let him make her believe he wasn't such a bad guy.

"You hesitated there," Thalia pointed out, glancing sideways at Reyna as they slowed down their walking pace. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah... actually, I'm great!" She reassured them, and it was true. She wasn't as affected as she thought she would be after the breakup. In fact, she even thought she should have been much more affected. She was barely even phased. It was mostly irritation that she wasted so much time on someone who wasn't worth it.

"Yeah? Things with Alex the Dou— _Barista_ are good, then?"

Reyna stopped for a second as Thalia almost tripped over their words but instantly corrected themselves. So, it was true. They were calling him a douchebag.

Thalia noticed that Reyna had fallen out of step. They turned around to face her, a sheepish grimace on their face. "I'm sorry— I know he's great and makes you happy and all—"

"No, you're right," Reyna interrupted them with a little bittersweet laugh. "He is a douchebag."

Thalia stopped dead in their tracks now, eyes wide with concern, more than anything else. "Wait— what happened?"

"Nothing, we just ended things," Reyna answered nonchalantly and kept on walking down the sidewalk. "And I'm glad, actually. I really shouldn't be wasting time with guys now anyway."

"Oh," she beard Thalia exclaim behind her before they rushed over to fall into step with her again. "Did he do something that I should probably punch him for? Because I will. If he hurt you or anything..."

Reyna turned to watch Thalia's face, the look in their eyes mostly unreadable, but they were also showing genuine concern for Reyna. She let out a small laugh, grinning at Thalia in amusement. "I know you would. But no, he didn't hurt me. I don't think he could if he wanted to. But thank you, anyway." She slipped the leash from her right hand to her left and grabbed onto Thalia's hand, giving it a small squeeze in thanks. She could have sworn there was a current of electricity that ran up her arm as soon as they came into contact.

Thalia looked at her taken aback, as though they had felt it too. Or maybe it was just the fact that Reyna had held their hand. Either way, they didn't let go, giving her hand a squeeze in return.

"Yeah, of course," Thalia breathed out, using their shoulder to scratch an itch in their face. "What happened though?"

"Nothing really, it was just not working out. And—" Reyna stopped herself, because she almost walked straight into another person, and because she had no idea what part of the breakup she wanted to tell Thalia.

Thalia pulled them onto a new street that led them into the forest that surrounded the area.

"Are you planning on murdering me in an obscure location where no one will find me for weeks until the insects have started eating my insides for the purpose of taking full custody of my dogs? Because if I die, they actually go to Hylla so..."

Thalia glanced back at Reyna with a little mischievous grin, wiggling their eyebrows ominously. "You're gonna have to find out the hard way."

Reyna let out an exaggerated sigh and followed Thalia along the hiking trail. It was pretty empty this time of day, on this one particular day, and Thalia took them even further away from civilisation until they reached the bottom of a hill. And they started climbing up.

"You were saying something?" Thalia said as they continued trekking upwards, glancing momentarily at Reyna as they tugged her along.

Reyna thought back to her words for a second, trying to think fast of what she should tell Thalia. Eventually, she figured the whole truth would be a good place to start.

"Well, he was being nice about the breakup at first. And then, he just kept on talking when he should've kept his mouth closed," she explained. Thalia cringed, giving her an empathetic nod.

"Yeah, I know what you're talking about. What did he say?"

"Uhh... well, he mentioned you."

Thalia looked at Reyna with a questioning eyebrow raised. They narrowed their eyes defensively and Reyna felt their grip on her hand tighten a little. "Did he?"

Reyna nodded. "Yeah... uh, he said you were mean and unpleasant and called him a douchebag behind his back—"

" _In my defence, he wasn't supposed to have heard that!"_

"— and I would've totally agreed with the 'mean and unpleasant' comment—"

" _What? Hey!"_ Thalia scowled deeply, shoving Reyna to the side with their shoulder.

Reyna grinned at them teasingly for a moment before dropping it. "But then... he refused to use your preferred pronouns and was being outright transphobic so I just walked out of there. But trust me, I've never wanted to punch anyone as much as I wanted to punch him in that moment."

Thalia kept walking up the hill in silence for another minute until they reached the top. They stopped right under a large pine tree and turned to look at Reyna, their expression going through several different ones until finally settling on a small and sad smile.

"I'm really sorry," they finally said, giving Reyna's hand a squeeze and running their thumb on the back of it gently.

"What?" Reyna asked, a little taken aback by their response. They should've been upset at the idiot she was dating. But instead, they were apologising... to her? For what?

"I'm sorry he didn't turn out to be the guy you thought he is." Thalia let go of Reyna's hand and moved closer toward the trunk of the tree, sliding all the way down until they were sitting on the earth under it.

"You're not upset?"

Thalia leaned their head back against the tree trunk and shrugged casually. "Nah, why would I be? He's not worth it. Come and sit down." They patted the spot next to them but instead of Reyna, both Aurum and Argentum trotted over to them and sat down.

"You're right," Reyna told them as she joined the trio and and slid down into a seated position on Thalia's right side. "He definitely isn't worth it."

Thalia hummed in response, a small smile pulling at their lips as they stared up at the clouds above. It looked like it might rain soon, but Reyna couldn't find it in her to mind. Thalia let out a small chuckle and Reyna turned to look at them in confusion, wondering what could have possibly been so funny in that moment. Sometimes, she wouldn't have minded paying millions of dollars to know what was going on in that mind of theirs.

Reyna finally caved in and asked. "What are you laughing at?"

Thalia looked a little embarrassed, grinning cheekily at her. "Was the sex at least better than it sounded through the walls?"

Reyna smacked their shoulder pretty hard for asking such a question and Thalia threw their head back as they burst out laughing, their eyes crinkling at the corners, almost disappearing behind their laughter lines. Reyna let out an awkward cough, twisting her ring around her finger. "It wasn't bad."

That only made Thalia laugh harder. Reyna's cheeks were on fire and she could only stare right ahead. Reyna counted the seconds until Thalia had finally quieted down to silent laughter and a wide grin. Eighty-three.

"So... what you're saying, essentially, is that I'm better?"

Reyna closed her eyes and covered her face with her hands in complete and utter humiliation. This conversation could not have been real. "Will it make you shut up if I say yes?"

"Only if you mean it," Thalia replied and even if Reyna couldn't see their face, she knew they were grinning cockily. She hated that she wanted to see their shit-eating grin she'd grown rather fond of and stare until she grew tired of it. She didn't look.

"Fine, yes. Are you happy?"

Thalia was quiet for a moment so Reyna pulled her hands back down to glance at them. Thalia wasn't wearing their cocky grin. It was a playful smile instead, a glint of amusement and pure joy sparkling in their blue eyes. They reached over to where Reyna had laid her hand in her lap and laced their fingers together between them. Reyna was a little surprised by the gesture but she didn't pull away, interested to see where this was going.

"Did you mean it?" Thalia asked and though they used their playful voice, Reyna thought she heard a hint of hope in their words.

"Yeah, of course I did," she breathed out, turning to look away from Thalia as she felt the blood rushing up to her face again. She glanced down at their hands instead. Thalia's pale skin, small tattoos covering the back of their hand which was relatively larger than Reyna's own hand. Her thoughts took her back to that same hand, holding her by the face on the roof as they snapped a close-up picture of her face. She wanted Thalia to hold her face like that again, not because they had to but because they could and they wanted to.

"I am happy... I think," Thalia said in a soft voice.

"You do look happier," Reyna noted, smiling gently in their direction. "For starters, you're wearing colours that aren't on the _black and white_ spectrum today."

Thalia chuckled, their lips quirking upwards. "I borrowed the sweater from Jason. I don't think I own any blue. Not light blue, at least."

"I figured," Reyna replied with a laugh. "But you should, it looks really good on you."

Thalia smiled brightly and genuinely and Reyna almost melted. "Thank you, Reyrey."

Reyna rolled her eyes at the nickname but she still smiled in return.

"It's ironic though. I hated this town, growing up. But I think being back with Jason, even the twins and dad... it's been nice. Especially being back in this spot."

Thalia patted the trunk of the pine tree with their free hand, looking all the way up to the tallest branch. It was quite a large tree, and it was the only one in sight for a few hundred feet. Reyna could tell it was a special spot for them. She turned around, inspecting the wood closer. She wasn't surprised when she saw a crooked T carved inside a lightning bolt. She ran her fingers over it, smiling to herself as she pictured a younger version of Thalia with no tattoos and still tiny legs trying to leave their mark on this tree. There was an L next to it, carved inside what looked like a pointy dagger. And under it, a tiny, misshapen owl and an A over its head.

"What's the story?" Reyna turned to look at Thalia only to find them watching her carefully. She blushed a little bit as Thalia cracked a tiny smile.

"When I first moved here, I hated spending time at home. It was huge and cold and empty and twelve-year-old me couldn't handle it. So, I'd spend most of my time out until curfew. But then this one time, I got lost and I started panicking 'cos I was twelve, and alone in the woods, and it was getting dark. And I found this tree. I don't know what it was but... it calmed me down. Somehow, I ended up getting back home. Well past curfew, but I survived. And then, any time it would get too much, I'd end up here again. Then, school started. I met Luke and Annabeth and we started hanging out here all the time whenever we needed to escape the real world. Percy sometimes joined us, but it was mostly us three. Until, well... you know the rest."

Thalia's eyes darted back up to the small dagger with the L in it, a ghost of a smile playing on their lips. Reyna's thumb caressed the back of her hand comfortingly.

"We made up a story," Thalia continued, letting out a small laugh, "that there was a place right here, that was invisible to other people unless they were special like us. We were learning about Greek mythology in history class at that point so, we pretended to be demigods. It fit pretty well in my case. Dad's name is literally Zeus. We would go on fake quests and fight fake monsters... accidentally cut myself with a knife once. We broke several bones trying to climb the tree. It was fun."

Reyna broke out into a grin as Thalia laughed sheepishly, staring fondly at them. "It sounded like it was a lot of fun." She smirked teasingly at Thalia, bumping her shoulder with theirs. "Demigod, huh?"

Thalia grinned crookedly, nodding enthusiastically. "Yeah. Like you never had an escape-fantasy world growing up. You're gay, of course you did."

Reyna let out a small laugh through her nostrils, a little embarrassed by how true their words were. But their world wasn't created just to hide from who she really was. Mostly, it was to hide away from her father growing up.

"Yeah, except mine was much more realistic. And less arrogant."

"Bullshit!" Thalia called out. "What was it?"

Reyna hesitated for a second before telling them. "I wanted to be a pirate..."

Thalia looked a little impressed and then they glanced at her elaborately, and Reyna just knew they were picturing her in an outfit from The Pirates of the Caribbean. "I can totally see it... with a hat, and an eyepatch. Maybe a corset. Oh, definitely a sword. You'd be a killer pirate with a sword."

"Oh, I definitely had a sword!" Reyna exclaimed with a little click of her tongue. "It was all gold. I didn't wear a corset though. It was a totally badass cloak that also doubled as a shield."

Thalia looked absolutely elated at receiving all this new information. "That is amazing. I can totally picture it." They were grinning widely, their tongue poking between their teeth. "I kind of want to see you in that cloak now."

Reyna dropped her smile, shaking her head at them. "No, you really don't."

Thalia's eyes widened a little as their smile faltered for a moment. "Wait— you had a real cloak, didn't you? Or at least, a pretend one... oh my god, you did!" And they were back to laughing hysterically, grabbing onto their side with their free hand.

"Stop it!" Reyna groaned, covering her face with her elbow in embarrassment.

Thalia was right. She used to use her favourite purple blanket as a cloak/shield to protect her. Hylla had even made it into a game when they were little any time their dad got a little too angry. She would tell Reyna to hide under the blanket and pretend it was made of steel, that nothing could get to her if she wrapped it around herself protectively. And for the most part, it really did seem magical, like nothing could ever penetrate the safe confinements of the purple blanket. But as she grew older, she realised it was Hylla who was protecting her and not the actual blanket.

She still had it, of course. She couldn't ever bear to part with it. It had holes in it and stains that no amount of laundry detergent could ever get out. She hid it in the very back of her closet along with all the rest of her worst memories. But it was still there as a reminder that once upon a time, she could pretend and escape into a different word where she was a pirate with a sword and spent her time sailing across oceans and having battles with other boats.

Thalia eventually stopped laughing and regarded Reyna with a wide beam on their face. Reyna couldn't possibly stay mad at them. They sat there until the sun was setting, talking about nothing and everything, laughing hysterically when Aurum went to poop, and then screaming in horror when Argentum almost slipped in them.

There was a slight drizzle in the air but it was rather nice. Reyna didn't mind it much. They talked until they came to a natural lull. It was pretty comfortable, and for the first time in a while, they sat there quietly without being suffocated by the heavy tension. The silence wasn't unbearable but Reyna liked listening to Thalia's scratchy voice.

"Can I ask you something?" Reyna asked, her head leaning against Thalia's shoulder.

"What about?" They murmured softly, playing with their baseball cap between their hands.

"The dress."

"Oh..." Thalia's hands stilled. They cleared their throat, put the cap back on, and used their fingers to flick their nose ring. "What about it?"

"Where did you get it?"

Thalia seemed a little relieved with that question, letting out a small breathy laugh. "Oh, Annabeth made it. She's awesome at the whole knitting and weaving and crocheting and anything that falls under crafting."

Reyna needed a second to process their words. "Annabeth made it? Are you kidding?"

Thalia laughed again, shaking their head. "I wish I was. You should have seen her prom dress." Thalia let out a low whistle, and Reyna laugh, still disbelieving.

"That's amazing," she finally breathed out. "The dress was perfect though."

"Yeah, all I had to do was give her an idea. She executed it perfectly."

Reyna couldn't agree more. But, out of curiosity, she asked, "What was the idea that you gave her?"

Thalia let out a sound Reyna had never heard before, a nervous laugh. "You really wanna know?"

She nodded her head, turning to look at their face better. Thalia's eyes were focused on Aurum sitting a few feet away from them and happily munching on a stick.

"I told her what my idea for the assignment was. I work best with portraits, so I wanted to do that. And I knew the dress had to be purple, so it had to be at sunset so that everything matched perfectly and I wouldn't have to edit the pictures much. And— well, I told her to picture you in it, blending in with the sky. And voila... a really hot dress was born."

Thalia wouldn't meet Reyna's eyes, but she couldn't look away from their face. So, she was right. She had thought Thalia had bought the dress for her. But no, she had gone through the effort of having a dress _made_ with her in mind.

Her heart felt like it was about to burst at any second. They hadn't been on good terms then. And Thalia still wanted her be to the center of a very important project of theirs. Reyna couldn't wrap her head around that thought.

"Why me?"

"What?" Thalia chuckled, finally turning to glance at her.

"Why did you choose me for that project?"

Thalia shrugged their shoulders, looking down at their shoes. "It just made sense. I knew it would be amazing. And I was right."

Reyna shook her head. There had to be more to it than that, right. "Thalia—" she started, but before she could even get her thought across, Thalia was closing the distance between them, grabbing her firmly by the face and kissing her deeply.

Reyna was taken aback. The last thing she had expected from Thalia at this point was for them to kiss her. But there they were, their lips over hers, soft and warm, and it didn't take Reyna long to kiss her back. Her eyes fluttered closed as her hands grabbed at Thalia's sleeves, her heart hammering hard in her chest.

Thalia slipped one of their hands down to Reyna's side, pulling her even closer. Their positions were kind of awkward so Reyna pulled herself into Thalia's lap, straddling their thighs. Thalia pulled her back down to kiss her feverishly again, slipping their tongue past her parted lips.

They kissed until their lungs ached with the lack of air it was receiving. They kissed until their lips were lips were left red and swollen. Until Reyna felt like she was about to melt into a puddle on Thalia's lap. They kissed until thunder erupted in the sky above them and fat droplets of rain fell on their foreheads and in their eyes, blurring their vision.

Thalia's head fell back against the tree, laughing wholeheartedly as their hands found Reyna's between them and they laced their fingers together. Reyna watched then through narrowed eyes, trying to avoid getting more raindrops in her vision, and she grinned widely at Thalia, biting down on her bottom lip to stop herself from smiling even wider but it was nearly impossible.

The dogs were having a field day in the rain, jumping from puddle to puddle. This wasn't going to be fun...

"We should..." Thalia trailed off, pointing their finger in the general direction of _going back_. But they made no move to stand up.

Reyna nodded, pulling her hair out of her face. "Yeah, we should..."

Everything was damp and sticky, and the smell of wet dirt was filling her nostrils. And Reyna leaned in again, kissing Thalia's lips softly. It was raining and they should have probably been running out of there until they found shelter, but they weren't rushing. In fact, they seemed to be quite comfortable just the way they were. When Thalia pulled away again, they touched their forehead gently against Reyna's, brushing their thumb over her cheek.

"Okay but... even my underwear's wet," Thalia finally broke their silence. The look on Reyna's face must have been pretty suggestive because Thalia playfully pushed her off their lap and pulled themselves up to their feet. "Perv."

Reyna found herself giggling as she got up herself, dusting off her pants hut it was useless with the rain still coming down on them fast and heavy.

Thalia pushed her against the tree one more time, stealing her breath away with one last searing kiss before grabbing Aurum's leash and started running down the hill.

"Hey— wait!" Reyna groaned, grabbing onto Argentum just before he started running after them, and they followed, almost slipping and tumbling several times until they got to the main road again. They ran all the way back to the house, laughing like little children along the way.

When they got to the front door, Thalia hesitated with the key.

"I'm freezing out here, just open the door!"

Thalia looked at her with a little smirk. "We're gonna get mud all over the floor."

Reyna realised that they could ruin the very expensive rugs on their way up. "Shit, that's gonna get us in trouble, right?"

"Yeah," Thalia grinned mischievously. "And we can't keep these guys out in the rain. It's just cruel."

"I don't like where this is going."

"Don't worry," Thalia told her while inserting the key in the door. "Dad and Hera won't be home for a while. You'll be fast asleep by the time they notice."

Reyna was sure Thalia had a death wish. But she had no other choice. She wanted nothing more than to get out the wet clothes. They dragged Aurum and Argentum up the stairs, leaving a trail of rain and mud behind them. They managed to get them into Thalia's room and the connecting bathroom and as soon as they closed the doors, both dogs started shaking the muddy water off their coat, spraying everything in sight from humans to walls.

"Christ, okay, maybe this was a horrible idea..." Thalia said, awkwardly wiping their eye after getting a splash of mud in it.

Reyna laughed, shaking her head at them. "You think?" She said sarcastically. "Let's just get them cleaned up and then get out of these wet clothes."

Thalia was smiling at her. It was a little odd but their eyes were sparkling, even though they were a little red rimmed from trying to rub the dirt out.

The two of them managed to get the dogs in the tub and give them a good bath until they were sparkling clean. They had to use to use a lot of shampoo to clean their fur and Thalia was feeling stingy with their shampoo so they snuck into their brother's bathroom and stole his bottle of shea butter and avocado oil shampoo for luscious hair! Reyna felt just a little guilty, mostly because it looked like really expensive hair product, Thalia had no remorse though.

The hounds didn't let them even get near them with the hair dryer so with a defeated sigh, Thalia let them into their room and watched with a scowl as they took residence on their bed.

"Hey, so, you can use this bathroom. I'll just hog Jason's," Thalia told her, leaning against the bathroom door.

"Yeah, okay. Thank you."

Thalia lingered for a second, a small smile playing on their lips before finally turning around and giving Reyna her privacy. They closed the door behind them and Reyna was left alone.

She felt a little for getting the bathroom dirty. It was her dogs, after all. She tried her best to tidy up before getting in the shower and washing up. The warm water hitting her skin felt really nice and she might have stayed just a little longer than necessary in there. But god, the water pressure was amazing. They didn't get that in their apartment.

She stood under the warm stream, the bathroom already fogged up and steamy, and she god, she could still feel Thalia's lips against hers as she ran her fingers over them. They had held her face and kissed her because they could, and they wanted to. Reyna was having a hard time dropping her smile as she shut off the water and wrapped a clean towel around her body.

It wasn't until after she'd stepped into the bedroom that she realised all her clothes were left in the backpack, on a chair in the backyard, probably soaking by now.

The door opened and Thalia's head peeked inside. "Can I come in?"

"Sure, it's your room," Reyna told them, holding the towel tighter around herself.

Thalia slipped inside and closed the door behind them. They were wearing a clean pair of joggers and a baseball t-shirt with red sleeves, looking plenty refreshed and in a very happy mood. "Yeah, but if you're uncomfortable, I can just—"

"It's okay," Reyna laughed softly. "You've already seen everything."

Thalia grinned at her, wiggling their eyebrows playfully for a few moments before giving her a more serious look. "Boundaries are important, though. Oh and, Jason wanted to hang out with the dogs so they're in the basement with him and Piper for now."

"Good, let him deal with their shit," Reyna grumbled, making Thalia laugh out loud.

Thalia leaned back against the door, keeping their eyes at level with Reyna's, and they were smiling with their bottom lip caught between their teeth. Reyna remembered what those same lips tasted of, and she wanted to be tasting them now more than ever. She padded over to them, her feet bare and leaving a faint wet trail on the hardwood floor. Thalia released their lip, their hand shooting up to adjust their septum piercing.

"I could uh, leave so you can get dressed," Thalia told her in a quiet voice.

Reyna shook her head. "I left my things in the backyard."

"Oh, do you want to borrow some clothes?"

"No."

A look she hadn't seen in quite some time on Thalia crossed over their face. Reyna ran her tongue over her lips.

"Do you wanna just... hang out in that towel?"

"I'd rather not," Reyna chuckled. She could see Thalia getting more and more impatient by the second but there was still hesitation and uncertainty in their expression; they weren't going to do anything without it being clear and out in the air. Reyna respected that, but she was also growing impatient.

There was less than a foot between them now and Reyna could hear Thalia's ragged breathing. Her own insides were in shambles.

"What do you want?" Thalia asked, their voice hoarse and just above a whisper.

Reyna let a heavy pause pass between them before answering in a voice as clear as day. "You," she said.

Thalia took a sharp breath, their eyes flickering a little lower for a moment before meeting Reyna's gaze again. "You have me," they murmured. With a hesitant hand, they gripped Reyna by the waist, pulling her in even closer.

"Do I?"

Their lips were inches away from one another.

"You have no idea," Thalia breathed out, and they finally closed the distance between them, their lips meeting Reyna's, unbelievably fervent and desperate.  
  
Thalia stole every single last one of Reyna's breaths and in turn, Reyna breathed them in. Their taste and their scent invaded all of her senses. There was only Thalia, and they were everywhere.

Reyna wasn't sure when she had fallen back against the mattress, or at what point she had lost the towel, but Thalia was hovering over her, holding their weight up with their hands on each side of her head as they kissed her with so much heat, Reyna felt like her skin was on fire. Thalia's lips were everywhere, trailing down her neck and her chest, reaching her bellybutton. And they were kissing her again, and Reyna never wanted them to stop.

Thalia lost their t-shirt and pants somewhere along the way as well and they were kissing, chest to chest, bare legs tangled. Reyna's hands pulled at Thalia's hair, and Thalia's hands caressed her waist, the rough callouses of their fingertips sending goosebumps along their skin with every graze. And god, the butterflies in her belly were fluttering their wings with so much excitement. It had been week since Reyna had felt this much excitement, since her body was left tingling with every single touch, since her toes curled with the slightest brush of fingertips against her opening.

Thalia's mouth was on her breasts, and their teeth were playfully nibbling her skin. Their finger was teasing her, agonisingly slow and Reyna was already fighting the urge to make a sound really hard. She wouldn't give them the satisfaction just yet. But then, they were sucking on that one spot just below her ear, and their finger was pressing in deep inside, and she breathed out their name softly.

Thalia's mouth found its way between her legs soon after, and they teased her some more, pressing a trail of wet kisses along her thighs, blowing cool air over her sex, dragging their soaking wet finger all the way up to her clitoris. Their lips closed over her mound. Reyna bit down on her lip to avoid letting any sounds out, her back arching up. Thalia's free hand rested on her abdomen, keeping her steady.

Reyna's legs were quivering and her insides were throbbing, her walls clenching, and she couldn't bite back the moan that she let escape as Thalia helped her climax. And when she finally came back down to reality, Thalia was right there, staring down at her with a soft gaze in their eyes. They brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and cupped her cheek gently. And they were kissing her again, slowly and tenderly. Reyna's bones already felt like mush and now they were on fire like molten lava.

The heat extended to their kiss and they were kissing with more haste and yearning. Reyna was straddling Thalia's hips. She was holding their hands against the duvet, their fingers intertwined. Her lips were tracing their sharp jawline, the smooth skin on their neck. They left a few marks, peppered between their tattoos all over their body. By now, they knew where Thalia felt most comfortable being touched and she followed the trail she had engraved in her memory.

She kissed the two swallows on their chest, the arrow down their sternum. There were words in a language she didn't speak— Greek; quotes from their favourite philosophers, they'd told her once. A rose and a dagger with a beautifully intricate hilt. A serpent, the outline of a face, a crescent moon, a lighting bolt, a gorgon's face. Koi fish, Appa from Avatar: The Last Airbender, cherubs and classical sculptures. Reyna was never one for tattoos, personally. But Thalia's body was a masterpiece, and she admired every single artwork like it deserved to be in a museum, worshipping it with her lips.

She had Thalia trembling beneath her, murmuring encouraging words along the lines of _fuck_ and _right there,_ and Reyna kept going, using her fingers and her tongue, not nearly as experienced as Thalia, but just enough to have them gripping the duvet until their knuckles were white and letting out her name in a string of moans along with much filthier words.

Thalia was on their front, hugging the pillow close as they slept soundly, their head facing the other direction. They were holding Reyna's hand, even with their back facing her. For once, she felt like she didn't have to push them away. There was this... thing, inside her. Begging her to let things get complicated. To stay right there in bed with them, wrap an arm around their waist and fall asleep beside them. They had never shared a bed before and as Reyna was admiring the floral ink work along Thalia's back, she regretted all the times she could have spent like this. Sitting on her side in bed next to Thalia and watching then sleep peacefully. She wanted to take the complicated road, the same one she tried her hardest to avoid because catching feelings were not in their best interest.

But right then, as she was watching Thalia's face with their lips just slightly parted and their hand tucked safely under their pillow, she knew all those efforts were in vain. Maybe catching feelings was not such a bad idea.

Reyna reached over to turn off the lamp by the bedside table and in the dark, she couldn't see Thalia any longer. She held their hands up to her mouth and pressed a soft kiss to the back of their hand. She then closed her eyes, leaning back against her pillow and let herself fall asleep right next to Thalia.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow okay.. this chapter is a rollercoaster of emotions ... ehehe anyway, please enjoy!!! I love you guys and thank you so much for all the incredible support 🥺❤️
> 
> PS: HAPPY HALLOWEEN 🎃 👻

When Reyna woke up, the first thing she saw was Thalia's face, beaming brightly down at her. Thalia's hand reached over, gently brushing Reyna's cheek with their thumb.

"Morning," Thalia chirped, their beam turning into a toothy grin. It was then that Reyna noticed Thalia had gotten showered and dressed and they smelled of coffee. They had been awake for some time which worried Reyna a little. Thalia was certainly not a person with a functioning sleeping schedule.

" _Hola_ ," Reyna murmured, blinking her eyes up at them some more. She scrubbed the sleep from her face with her hands, sitting up a little straighter in bed. "What time is it?"

"Just after nine," Thalia said. Yeah, something was definitely wrong. They never woke up early unless they had something urgent to do. "There's a cup of coffee for you on the nightstand. And we can make breakfast if you want."

Reyna turned to glance at the bedside table next to her where she found a small, porcelain mug with steaming hot coffee inside. Reyna pushed herself up into a seated position with her back against the bed frame and reached over for the cup. No sugar, a tiny bit of milk. Just the way she liked it. She smiled, holding the drink up to her mouth and taking a small sip.

And then, she remembered she was completely naked and she didn't have an extra pair of clothes. Thalia seemed to understand when Reyna pulled the covers a little closer to her body. They got up and walked over to their dresser.

"I got your bag from the backyard. It's still wet so I put them all in the dryer but you can borrow some of my clothes for now," they told her while pulling out some fresh clothes and left them laying neatly at the foot of the bed. "If you don't like those you can just pick whatever you want, though I have to warn you, there's not much in there other than the clothes from the horrible fashion choices I made in high school."

Reyna chuckled, pushing away the thought of going through that closet to make fun of them. That wouldn't be nice... but god, she was tempted. "Thanks, Thal."

"Yeah, no problem," they responded with a soft smile. "Alright, I'm gonna let you get dressed and everything. I'll be downstairs."

They made their way over to the door and started to pull it open when they turned back around, their eyes dancing shyly. "One more thing..." They dashed over to the bed, leaned down, and pressed their lips against Reyna's.

She was surprised, almost spilling some coffee over the duvet, but she managed to keep the mug steady and use her free hand to grab onto Thalia's face as she kissed them back.

Thalia pulled back a few seconds later, grinning crookedly. They scrunched their nose and tried adjusting the ring that had gone askew. Cute, she thought.

"Okay," Thalia laughed softly, clapping their hands together. "I'll be downstairs," they murmured. They took one last look at Reyna before rushing out into the hall, closing the door behind them.

Reyna couldn't hold back her smile even after Thalia was long gone. She smushed her face in the pillow for a few seconds to collect herself before pulling the covers off and making her way to the ensuite bathroom and freshening up.

Thalia had lain out a simple pair of black jeans and a worn-out sweater of a matching colour. The legs of the jeans were a few inches too long so she cuffed them up to her ankles and slipped into her sneakers. Even the sweater's cuffs covered her hands up to her second knuckles but she didn't mind it that much.

Reyna grabbed all of her belongings and the cup of coffee before making her way downstairs. The house seemed empty, or everyone else was still asleep. But either way, it was pretty quiet, a peaceful quietness though. As she stepped onto the first floor, she heard Thalia's unmistakable voice followed by a little bit of clattering. She followed their voice toward the kitchen and was about to walk in when she heard her name.

"So, you and Reyna then?"

It was Artemis's voice, soft but with unquestionable authority to it.

"I mean, it's not like that," Thalia replied, more pots clattering.

Reyna knew she shouldn't be eavesdropping but her feet were stuck in place.

"No?" Artemis wondered, and though Reyna did know her well, she was sure it sounded like she wasn't believing their younger sibling's words. "It sounded like it last night."

"Jesus Christ, Art, what the fuck?" Thalia exclaimed, their voice going up a few keys higher. Reyna felt her own cheeks heat up.

"What? Did you forget we share a bedroom wall?" Artemis was laughing, clearly finding pleasure in embarrassing her sibling.

"Actually... yes. You haven't exactly lived here in like... eight years, so," Thalia told her.

"Fair point. But why not?"

Thalia was quiet for a moment. "Why not what?"

If Artemis was anything like Thalia, Reyna could imagine her rolling her blue eyes right now. "Why is it not _like that_? Whatever that means."

Reyna could practically feel Thalia's hesitation before they gave their sister an answer. "Cos... We're not— she's not serious."

Reyna's stomach stirred. It shouldn't have. She knew they weren't serious. It was their original agreement. No strings attached. And yet, last night, it felt like it could be. And she wasn't so averse to the idea, and it didn't seem to her like Thalia was either. But maybe she was wrong.

"What about you?" Artemis asked.

"What do you think?" Thalia chuckled.

"Right, I forgot who I was talking to," Artemis sighed. "So, what're you going to do?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but absolutely nothing."

"That's not going to end well." Well, clearly Artemis was the smart one between the two. Thalia was quiet. "Come on. You can't possibly stand there and think for a second that I'm going to believe you don't care enough to—," Artemis chuckled and Thalia was way to quick to respond.

"I'm sitting down."

"You're impossible, kid," Artemis said with a laugh.

Reyna could already feel a needle poking through her chest when a loud voice came from behind her, making her jump in surprise.

"Good morning, Reyna!"

She turned around to find Jason running down the stairs excitedly, her own dogs following him with their tails wagging. They ran up to her at full speed, almost making her trip and spill the coffee in her hand.

"Oh— hey, Jason," she said, forcing a smile in his direction.

The conversation in the kitchen was cut short as Jason had announced their presence so gingerly stepped inside, followed by Aurum and Argentum who were demanding her attention.

Thalia turned to her, shooting her a grin, but Reyna couldn't find it in her to smile back this time. She set the mug on the counter and crouched down to pet her dogs.

" _Hola, cariñitos,"_ she whispered quietly, rubbing their chins and giving them each a kiss on the head.

"Good morning, again," Thalia said with a laugh.

"Morning," Artemis added. "I hope you had a good night's sleep." Reyna understood exactly what she was insinuating and it made her blush and want to bury her face in her dog's fur.

She did have a good night's sleep. In fact, it was amazing. And she thought the morning was going just as well. She wasn't so sure anymore.

"Hey... you okay?" Thalia asked over their own cup of coffee.

Reyna nodded. "Yeah, just still tired," she mumbled and pulled herself up to her feet. She didn't look directly at Thalia.

She thought after everything that had happened last night, after all the small and rare moments they had spent together where they had their souls bare to one another, after all of that, Thalia might have cared just a little bit, just enough to want to do something about _them_. Something maybe more than just meaningless sex. But apparently not. Artemis told them they couldn't possibly expect her to believe they didn't care enough about Reyna. Thalia's lack of real answer couldn't have meant anything good. 

It stung.

"Dude, you're seriously not about to eat turkey for breakfast!" Artemis exclaimed, grimacing in disgust in Jason's direction as he pulled out the leftovers from the fridge.

He held the Tupperware up with a small, sheepish smile on his face. "...They taste better in the morning."

"He makes a fair point," Thalia pointed out, taking their brother's side.

The three siblings went on a rather heated banter about the subject matter while Reyna stood there quietly observing Thalia. She didn't get them, not one bit. Did they just want to hurt her? It didn't even seem like they were aware of it. She wasn't sure if that was worse or not.

Reyna cleared her throat, pulling her braid to the side to fiddle with the end. "Uh... I think I'm gonna head home early."

Thalia turned to look at her with their eyebrows raised in surprise. "Wait, really? I had a few things planned for the rest of the day—"

"Yeah," Reyna interrupted them mid-sentence. "I need to get some work done and Hylla needs her car back, anyway, so..." She trailed off, glancing down at her hands covered by the sleeves of Thalia's sweatshirt. She tugged at the sleeve's cuff, picking at a loose thread.

She thought she saw Thalia look disappointed but she must have imagined it. She was probably projecting her own thoughts onto her perceptions.

"Are you sure?" Thalia asked and Reyna only nodded.

"Yeah, I should get going."

Thalia walked Reyna all the way over to her parked car. They helped her get the dogs in the back and her backpack with the clothes she never got to wear and those that were stained with rain and mud. Reyna opened her own door, ready to get inside, but Thalia stopped her, placing their hand lightly over hers which was gripping the door-handle tightly.

"Hey, uh, I just wanted to say thanks, you know, for coming."

Reyna pulled her hand back to her side as she slipped into her seat, avoiding Thalia's gaze all together. She could still feel that thin needle poking her in the chest. "Yeah, don't mention it," she answered and with a small awkward wave, she closed the car door.

Thalia was taken aback, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Wait, Reyna—"

Reyna pulled out of the parking lot and past the gates. It was the longest thirty minute drive of her life. She couldn't even stand the radio playing in the back. All she could do was overthink every single last word exchanged with Thalia over the last twenty-four hours. All of the touches and the kisses and the embraces they shared. It couldn't have possibly meant _nothing_ to Thalia. It certainly didn't mean nothing to her. Thinking rationally, she couldn't have been sure what Thalia was trying to say because their sentence was cut off before they could finish it, but their brain was seemingly incapable of believing the rational part of it and instead was only focusing on the emotional part that was angry and hurt and frustrated that she still wanted to kiss Thalia's stupid face again.

She knew she was being rash and unfair but she couldn't bring it in her to do much about it. Not until she could at least try and calm down a little.

She found herself parking the car in her sister's driveway in Brooklyn, coincidentally enough, just as Hylla was running down the street in a pair of leggings and a hoodie. She did a double-take when she noticed her own car and jogged over to the driver's window, knocking on the glass.

With a heavy sigh, Reyna pulled it down and shot her older sister a small grin. "Heeeeey," she drawled, her voice tired.

"Hey..." Hylla replied, confusion crossing over her expression. "You're back early."

"Yeah, are you going for a run?" Reyna asked, instantly changing the subject.

Hylla clearly wasn't followed but she nodded, crossing her arms over her chest. "You wanna come?"

"Can you lend me a pair of leggings?"

Hylla led her and the puppies up to her apartment and gave Reyna a pair of running shoes and leggings. Five minutes later, they were back on the sidewalk, running at a leisurely pace in no particular direction, each of them leading a dog by the leash. It would have been easier to leave them at the apartment but they probably had to go about doing their business and Hylla would not have appreciated them pooping on her rugs.

They ran in silence for a few minutes until Hylla pulled out one of her earbuds and turned to glance at Reyna with a curious expression.

"I know there's something bothering you," Hylla mentioned casually.

They ran quietly for another minute or so before Reyna responded.

"It's nothing, really," Reyna huffed out, grabbing the lead tighter in her palm. "It's just— I really don't understand them!" she exclaimed in frustration, putting a little more effort into her steps.

"Them as in...?"

"Thalia," Reyna snapped. "We had a—" she glanced at her sister in hesitation before deciding to just tell her everything. "We had a great night together last night and I was starting to believe that maybe we could make it work and have something real. They seemed _real_. I mean, they've always been real but last night was just... it was different."

Hylla gave her a side glance, managing to carefully steer between passers-by and keep her attention on Reyna. "What happened, then?"

The burn in her calves from running pushed her to let out her feelings and keep talking. Reyna wouldn't have normally found it so easy to open up, even to Hylla. But here she was, about ready to explode with all of her pent up emotions finally catching up to her.

"I kind of overheard half a conversation between them and their sister. And I know I shouldn't assume anything. But the logical part of my brain is tired and my fight-or-flight response was activated and now I'm running."

Reyna's voice was almost breathless as she pressed on, and Hylla kept the pace with her without so much complaint. If anything, when she answered, she seemed totally fine, which added onto the things that were currently frustrating Reyna.

"What did they say, exactly?"

"Basically that they didn't care about me or us, it wasn't clear but..." Reyna responded and then added in a rush, "I know I'm probably jumping to conclusions. Maybe they meant something else. But... I don't know. It made me start thinking about everything and maybe it's best if we just stay friends. Or just roommates even."

Reyna let out a heavy sigh, pushing her hair away from her sweaty forehead. Her breathing was ragged and shaky but she didn't stop running. The adrenaline rush was good. Channeling her emotions into something physical was good.

Hylla gave her a look that somehow translated to " _But Reyna, won't that get complicated?"_ and Reyna scowled, knowing she was right but getting into anything more than strictly platonic with Thalia, anything involving a sexual or emotional relationship, would just be more complicated. Reyna was convinced. They would never work out. There were just way too many signs.

As the two of them kept running around Brooklyn, Reyna made a list of pros and cons, trying to decide if she was making the right choice. The con list was long. Too long. She kept remembering things to add to it.

Thalia's messy. They're loud. They keep her up at ungodly hours. They don't do relationships, words that came straight from their own mouth. They can get pretty cocky. They get paint stains on so many of her textbooks and papers. They put milk first and cereal second. It was all the little things. There was a possibility that they didn't care about her.

The pro-list was much shorter. All she could think of was Thalia. Thalia's name. Thalia's face. That distinctive mix of smells of cigarettes, perfume, and sometimes even paint that followed them everywhere. Thalia.

And Reyna realised too late that she had foolishly caught feelings for Thalia. All those times she had tried to push them away, even when they were sleeping together, even when she had insisted on keeping things at an arm's length to avoid catching those exact feelings, they were all in vain. She was doomed to fall for the annoying, rugged roommate from the start and there was nothing she could do about it.

****

Thalia wouldn't say they were confused. No, because that would be a major understatement. They had no idea why Reyna had left in such a rush. It made no sense. Just an hour ago, she had woken up pretty content and Thalia thought they were _good_. They were finally on the same page.

God, the previous night was possibly one of Thalia's happiest. Reyna was there, and she was theirs. She let them all in for once and in turn they let her in. Thalia thought they could finally be something real. They didn't have to keep pushing her away to protect themselves because Reyna had showed them they didn't have to anymore. They were so sure.

And then she left, like the entire night never happened.

She wasn't answering their texts. Right there, in their chat, their message glowed bright blue, the word DELIVERED right under it.

_Thalia Grace: hey! Did you get home safe? x_

That was three hours ago, sent thirty minutes after Reyna was supposed to have arrived home. They knew she was ignoring them only because they saw her active on instagram. It's not like they were stalking her on anything, but when they had opened their DMs after receiving one from Phoebe, they saw her account username just a few chats below. It said Active now.

She was choosing not to answer their message, which was pretty cruel. She could ignore them all she wanted, but the least she could have done was answer with a simple _yes._

"Stop pacing, will you? You're giving me a migraine, christ," Artemis complained from her spot on the lounge chair in the family room.

With a frustrated sigh, Thalia flopped down at the chair by the grand piano and smashed their forehead against the keys, playing a very loud and horrible chord that resonated through the room. Artemis groaned, throwing her book on the table across from her while Jason chuckled from his spot on the couch, his eyes still focused on the computer screen in front of him. There were gunshot sounds coming from his laptop and every now and then he let out an angry string of swear words, usually followed by Leo Valdez' name.

"Fine. Lay it on me," Artemis grumbled, sitting up straighter to get a better look at Thalia.

They leaned their elbows on the piano top, placing their chin over over their arms as they looked straight ahead to meet their sister's gaze.

"She won't answer my text."

Artemis blinked at them. "Reyna's not answering your text?"

"Yes, thanks for repeating my words," Thalia rolled their eyes at her.

"Don't be pissy with me," Artemis pointed her finger at them threateningly. "Maybe she's just busy."

"No, she's not. She's ignoring me," Thalia insisted. They knew Reyna wasn't busy. She wasn't supposed to return to Manhattan until later in the afternoon. They had plans made accordingly. Her morning should have been completely free. She could have spared a second to at least send an emoji. A smiley face. Anything.

"Do you think... did she overhear our conversation?"

Thalia's eyes slowly widening in horror at their sister in realisation. They had been talking to Artemis about their feelings for Reyna and how they didn't want her to push them away anymore the way she used to every time they had slept together in the past. Reyna wasn't serious about them, even if they had spent quite the intimate night together. They wanted to talk to her about it, to ask her if maybe she would take a chance at a serious thing. They felt like they were ready, after all this time. But they couldn't do anything about it because... well, they didn't know how to deal with feelings. They didn't know how to talk about these things. They'd never been serious about anyone before, and it scared them. They cared about Reyna a lot.

"Do you think it scared her away... you know, that I like her?"

"You're practically in love, Thal," Jason told them without even looking up from his screen.

"Shut up, you simp."

"Hey, at least I'm honest about it!" He replied, glancing up for a second to shoot then a boyish grin.

"It's possible," Artemis placed her feet on the rug, leaning her elbows forward on her knees. "Are you still not going to do anything about this?"

"She ran away when she found out that I have feelings for her, Art. That can't be a good sign. She doesn't want me in her life!" Thalia huffed, dropping their elbows on the black and white keys again. It hurt a little, frankly, but they couldn't blame her. They weren't the kind of person people wanted to get closer to.

"So what? You can't let her get away without at least trying," Artemis pressed on. "Look, I— I've let people I care about get away in the past and it's the worst fucking kind of pain in the world. You don't want to go through that."

Thalia frowned at their sister. They didn't know that about her. In fact, they realised there was a lot they didn't really know about her.

"... you mean Zoë, don't you?"

Artemis hesitated for a second before nodding with a heavy sigh. "I knew she had feelings for me, for months, and I was scared of what it all meant so I pushed her away and... we had this huge fight, you were probably too young to remember but..." Artemis shrugged her shoulders, glancing down at her shoes. "It sucked."

Realisation finally dawned on Thalia. "You loved her?"

"Not in the way that she wanted me to, no," Artemis admitted, and Thalia was only slightly disappointed. They were still like... 57% sure their sister was into women. She checked all the requirements. And yet, somehow, she insisted she didn't like women. "Thalia, just... don't let this great thing slip through your fingers. I know you'd rather ignore it all and pretend like the feelings don't exist but that will just makes things worse. It'll hurt you more. Talk to her. Tell her the truth. And if she still doesn't want this, then at least you can move on. But you have to know before it all blows up in your face."

As much as they hated hearing those words, they knew Artemis was right.

They couldn't sleep that night. They kept tossing and turning in bed, their hand sliding over the side that Reyna had slept on just last night. They kept checking their phone. Reyna still wasn't answering.

They had sent her a few messages during the day. They asked her if she was okay. They sent her a picture of a baby duck wearing a tuxedo, it was adorable. A link to a twitter thread of cute dogs in costumes. She didn't answer to any of them.

Thalia had mulled over what Artemis had told them. They knew they had to talk to Reyna sooner or later. She couldn't just keep on ignoring them. They had to meet at home eventually, and they would talk then. Thalia decided to give her some space. They sent her just two messages the next day. On the third day, they finally got frustrated enough to stop.

They still kept on checking their phone though, so they kept it turned off, distracting themselves with sketching and holiday course work instead.

And when they had finally gotten back to their apartment in Manhattan, Reyna wasn't there, and neither were the dogs. Everything was still the same, but Thalia had the apartment all to themselves.

The first day, it was fun. They got to blast music as loud as possible and run around in just their underwear. The second day wasn't as fun. They had started classes again, and Reyna wasn't back yet.

They decided to suck it up and send her another message.

_Thalia Grace: are you alive_

Reyna read it just a minute later, but she didn't answer.

They did the only logical thing. They stalked her follower's list on instagram, found her best friend Nico di Angelo's profile, and sent him a dm.

 **yourlocalthembo**  
i know you know why Reyna's ignoring me and i know you probably wont tell me why because like youre best friends and whatever but is she at least doing okay?

Nico's answer came surprisingly fast. They weren't expecting that, but at least he wasn't keeping them on the edge of their seat with worry and anticipation.

 **wills_simp**  
She's fine.

Even through that one short message they could feel the coldness of his tone bring a chill down their spine. Damn...

 **yourlocalthembo**  
well shit  
why are you pissed at me?

 **wills_simp**  
I'm not.

 **yourlocalthembo**  
sure ur not  
where's reyna?

 **wills_simp**  
not here.

 **yourlocalthembo**  
she's with hylla isn't she

 **wills_simp**  
fuck

 **yourlocalthembo**  
SHIT IM RIGHT  
THAT WAS A TOTALLY RANDOM GUESS

 **wills_simp**  
YOU BETTER NOT DO ANYTHING DUMBER  
I WILL LITERALLY NOT HESITATE

 **yourlocalthembo**  
what are u gonna do?

 **wills_simp**  
im serious  
dont do anything stupid.

 **yourlocalthembo**  
sheesh okay  
how is she friends with you

They were blocked right after that last message, which seemed totally fair. They weren't mad about it.

There was a slight problem. They had absolutely no idea where Reyna's sister lived. They knew it wasn't exactly far, but they had to talk to Reyna. They couldn't take it anymore.

They searched the entire house for any sort of hint as to what Reyna's sister's address was until it looked like they just just thrown a frat party. They couldn't find anything in any cabinets, drawers, or books that Reyna had left lying around. For some reason, they even searched their own room. It didn't make any sense but they weren't about sensible things right now. Just before giving up, they considered searching Reyna's room. Any hint of her sister's address had to be somewhere in there if there was any. But they couldn't breach her privacy like that and lose her trust in them. They weren't even sure if she still trusted them, anyway.

With a disappointed sigh, they walked back to the living room and flopped down face first on the couch, their feet hanging from the other side.

They probably sat there for ten minutes or ten days, they weren't sure, but they were pleasantly surprised when they heard the keys jingle outside the front door.

Thalia pushed themselves up to their feet, adjusting their hoodie down as the door opened and Reyna walked in. There was another woman beside her, around the same height. She looked a lot like Reyna, with the same regal and elegant poise and serious look in her eyes that put fear in anyone they glared at, except her hair was shorter and she was wearing a good amount of make-up. It couldn't be anyone other than her older sister Hylla.

Aurum and Argentum zoomed in before her, running straight over to Thalia but they were too busy watching Reyna as she closed the door with one hand and dropped her backpack to the floor with the other.

Her eyes were wide with shock, her mouth hanging open as she saw the mess around the house.

"What the actual fuck happened here?" Reyna exclaimed, scrubbing her face with her hand in irritation.

Great, they were already starting wonderfully!

"Uh..." Thalia had no idea bow they were going to explain the mess without embarrassing themselves not only in front Reyna but in front of her sister _and_ her dogs. "I was looking for something. For you. I was looking for you."

"You were looking for her in cabinet drawers?" Hylla chuckled, clearly finding the situation amusing. She was probably feeding off Thalia's humiliation.

"No— yes, fuck. I mean— I was looking for a way to find you," they clarified. "Is that better?" They couldn't help shooting the sarcastic comment and the challenging look in Hylla's direction. But when her eyes narrowed, they were a lot scarier than Reyna's and Thalia decided it would be best to keep their attention on Reyna.

"Well, I'm here," Reyna responded, her tone flat, calculated.

Thalia scratched the back of their head in awkwardness. "Yeah... I— can we talk?" Their eyes moved from Reyna to Hylla who looked pretty comfortable right there. Thalia wasn't sure they were comfortable talking in front of her. She was really starting to make them nervous.

"Sure," Reyna said nonchalantly. She took off her face-mask, and neatly folded it into the back pocket of her jeans.

Thalia hesitated for a second before adding: "Alone? Please..."

Reyna sighed and turned to her sister.

"Está bien. Puedes esperar en el coche." _It's okay. You can wait in the car._

Thalia had no idea what she had just said but from the look Hylla gave them, it couldn't have been good.

"¿Estás segura?" _Are you sure?_

"Si, si, estoy bien." _Yes, yes, I'm fine._

Hylla was giving them the real stank-eye.

"Yo no confío en elles." _I don't trust them._

Reyna rolled her eyes at her sister and started pushing her toward the door by the shoulders. Hylla started complaining but Reyna was also arguing with her. It was hard to catch _any_ of the Spanish going on between them.

"Vale, vale. Bien. Me iré. Pero, si hacen algo estúpido—" _Okay, okay. Fine. I'll leave. But, if they do anything stupid_

"Mira—" _Look_

"—Algo estúpido, Reyna—" _anything stupid, Reyna_

"Mira—" _Look_

"—Llámame." _Call me._

Reyna sighed heavily, giving her sister a nod.

" _Mira, Hylla,_ te prometo que te llamaré. Pero son inofensivo. Estaré bien. Lo prometo." _Look, Hylla, I promise I'll call you but they're harmless. I'll be okay, I promise._

Hylla opened the front door reluctantly. "Vale. Me voy a casa. Llámame." _Okay, I'm going home. Call me._

"Si, si, si. Adios, Hylla!"

"I'm watching you," Hylla pointed directly at Thalia before finally leaving. Reyna closed the door after her and went to find a seat on the couch.

Thalia followed her but they remained standing, leaning against the bookcase instead. "Is she always this intense? I'm kinda scared..."

Reyna chuckled tiredly, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Yeah... you get used to her."

Thalia nodded slowly though they were having doubts about that.

"That was a lot of Spanish..." they said with a little, nervous laugh. They were pretty sure the two sisters were talking about them. It couldn't have been anything good from the sound of things.

"Look, what did you want to talk about?"

Straight to the point. Curt. Cold. No small talk. No friendly chit chat.

"Why were you ignoring me?" Thalia asked, and they couldn't hide the small change in their tone at the end as their brow furrowed and their lips turned down.

"You really care whether I answer your texts or not?" Reyna actually chuckled, dropping her hand to her lap with a heavy thud.

Thalia's frown deepened. "Of course I care. Why wouldn't I— did I do something to upset you? That night, when we— did I do something wrong or make you uncomfortable in any way or take it too far—"

"No, god. Of course not. It was perfect." Reyna sighed heavily and buried her face in her hands, her shoulders hunched forward.

"Then, why are doing this to me?" Thalia cried out in frustration. "Did you overhear my conversation with Artemis that morning?"

Reyna's hands fell into her lap again, her eyes watching Thalia carefully. Her lips parted, as though she wanted to say something, but no words came out. So, that was it. Artemis was right.

"Look, I wasn't trying to eavesdrop or anything—"

"So, you know?"

"What?"

"You know how I feel about you."

Reyna's face instantly went stoic instead, her jaw set tightly, her gaze hardened. "I guess so."

"And you _still_ walked away." Thalia's voice was quiet. They couldn't control the quivering, though. Their heart was beating really hard, and it hurt.

"Of course I walked away. What was I supposed to do? Stay there and humiliate myself?"

Thalia couldn't believe what they were hearing them. They felt like they were being stabbed in the chest, and she was twisting the knife. Their throat tightened as they tried to speak.

"Do you hate me so much that you find the thought of me liking you humiliating?" They spat out, their voice starting to raise.

Reyna was getting up to her feet but she stopped, standing in her spot right in front of the couch. "What?"

"I think I'm the one humiliating myself here. It's not like I was literally pouring my heart out to my sister because I was scared you were going to push me away. Which is exactly what you did, by the way, right after supposedly hearing that I _didn't want you to push me away."_

Reyna looked dumbfounded. "You didn't say that..." she spoke in a quiet voice, Thalia almost catch it.

They couldn't help but snort. "Sure! And I also didn't tell Artemis that I have feelings for you!"

"No... you said you weren't serious about this— about me. And that you didn't care."

Thalia frowned at her in confusion. "What? When the fuck did I say that?"

"Damn it, in the kitchen! Right before Jason interrupted!" Reyna exclaimed, her own voice getting louder.

And then it started to make sense to Thalia. Slowly. Reyna had only accidentally heard the last part of the conversation. Which, out of context... might have sounded bad.

"Shit, you got it all wrong, Reyna," Thalia breathed out exasperatedly and pulling at the ends of their hair roughly.

"Look, it doesn't matter anyway."

Thalia looked up at her, throwing their hands up in the sir. "Of course it matters, Reyna!" Thalia yelled. "Do feelings _really_ mean nothing to you?"

"It doesn't matter, because this could never work out. We're too different, and too similar at the same time. It's literally a ticking time bomb counting down until it detonates, and it'll be really ugly. We _both_ constantly keep pushing each other away. That's why you were acting like an asshole all those weeks ago? Because I was dating someone else? And I always shut you out to avoid this exact argument. We can't do this, Thalia. You know it just wouldn't work. We'll only end up tearing each other apart."

"I DON'T CARE!" Thalia cried out, moving until they were standing right in front of Reyna. "Dam it, I don't give a _fuck_ if you fucking slice me like a fricken kebab on a rotisserie. Fucking skewer me through my goddamn asshole like a chicken. I don't care if _you_ tear me to pieces."

"How could you not?" Reyna was asking, desperately.

"BECAUSE IT'S _YOU_!" They blurted out. "I've been hurting for _months_ because I couldn't be with you. I pushed you away because I thought that it could help me move on, and that if I didn't, I wouldn't be able to handle it, but god, it made it so much worse. I thought I was doing myself a favour with all of that bullshit self-preservation. And god, the past few days, I was going crazy with worry. So yeah, I think I could handle more pain if it meant at least I got to be with you."

Thalia was breathing heavily and they could feel their eyes stinging, threatening to spill tears but they held them back.

Reyna was quietly shaking her head and rubbing her temples with her fingers. "No, no. You can't mean that. You can't possibly be willing to go through so much pain just to be with _me."_

 _"Yes, I am,_ Reyna. Aren't you listening to me?" Thalia cried out, searching Reyna's face for any signs of understanding, signs that maybe she felt the same way.

" _Why?"_

God, Thalia was going crazy. This conversation clearly wasn't going anywhere. "What do you mean _why_? What are you not fucking getting?"

Reyna exhaled harshly through her nose. She dropped her hands to her sides and Thalia could see that her eyes were also moist, glistening with tears. "I don't get _you._ Why are you so willing to get your heart eventually broken? By _me_?"

" _Jesus Christ_ ," they muttered. "BECAUSE I FUCKING LOVE YOU, REYNA."

Reyna was shaking her head, wiling at her eyes as the tears threatened to spill. "No... no, you don't." 

"Yes, I do." Thalia's tone was tired, breathless.

"No, you can't."

Thalia huffed out a laugh. This was getting ridiculous. Here they were, baring their heart on their sleeve for once in their fucking life, except it felt like they were on their skateboard and they kept falling down and scraping it. Over and over again. Eventually, it becomes numb.

"I do. In some crazy twist of fate, even when you hated me, I fell for you." They didn't have it in them to speak so loudly anymore. Their voice was a wispy breath with a little croak from previous yelling.

They couldn't understand Reyna's expression. Her eyes were welled-up, her brow was furrowed and her mouth was twisted in a frown, and yet she gave no indication that she was ready to accept their profession.

"I've never hated you," Reyna finally sighed in a small voice.

Thalia searched her face, trying to find the rest of that sentence. They knew that look on her face, having an internal struggle. But that was it. There was nothing more to it.

And there it was. Everything that had gone numb came crashing back in waves.

"But you don't want me."

Reyna didn't meet their gaze.

Right... well.

They cleared their throat, actually letting out a small, pained chuckle, and took a step back, leaving a considerate amount of space between them. They smiled, a sad smile that held back the tears with every last bit of strength they had left. They rubbed the back of their neck, nodding their head in understanding.

"Thalia—"

"No, hey... it's okay. Really. I've been rejected before. It's cool. Don't worry about it." They turned around and walked around Reyna to get to the front door.

"Where are you going?"

Thalia wasn't exactly sure. But they couldn't stay here. They bent down to grab their shoes and leaned against the wall as they slipped into them, one by one.

Thalia's hand closed around the door handle when they felt Reyna walk up behind them. Her hand rested on their elbow lightly, running an electric current as strong as lightening through their body. They turned around to meet Reyna's eyes before leaving but as soon they did, they couldn't move.

Reyna's hand moved to their face, and they couldn't move. Her lips were on theirs, soft and slow and desperate, and they couldn't move. They were fixed in place and their mouth moved on instinct, kissing her back until their lungs threatened to burst. Reyna touched her forehead against their when she pulled away and Thalia took in a shaky breath, biting down on their lip hard enough to draw blood.

"That's not fair," they whispered, refusing to open their eyes and see her. "You're not being fair."

" _Lo siento_." That, they understood. I'm sorry.

Thalia shook their head, pushing themselves away from her. "I can't do this anymore, Reyna. I can't keep fooling around anymore. If you want me, I'm right here. Just say it... or I'm done. I'm just... I'm done."

Reyna didn't say anything and she didn't stop them when they opened the door and stormed down the stairs until they found themselves on the sidewalk. It was pouring rain outside, which seemed pretty fitting.

Thalia wiped at their eyes furiously as they felt the warm tears mix with the cold drops of water.

They forgot their coat. And their keys and their phone. They were lucky they'd even remembered to put on shoes.

They were surprised as they started crossing the street to see Hylla's car still parked there, and she was inside. She noticed them too, soaking wet already and walking in her direction.

She rolled the window down, glancing at them with a frown. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Getting skewered like a kebab, apparently," they grumbled, pushing their wet hair back.

"What?" She asked in confusion, her eyebrows furrowed in that same way that Reyna's did. "Where's my sister?"

Thalia shrugged and shoved their hands in the pockets of their hoodie. "I don't know and I don't really give a fuck anymore."

That was a lie, because judging by the knife that was twisting painfully in their chest, it seemed like they still cared quite a bit. But they didn't want to.

"Hey— Thalia, wait..." Hylla started, and surprisingly her voice was softer than they had anticipated, mixed with a lot of confusion.

Thalia didn't wait, walking instead in the opposite direction to absolutely fucking nowhere.

" _Thalia!"_

It was Reyna's voice, loud enough over the sound of heavy Reyna for them to hear it but they didn't turn out. They couldn't handle any more heartbreak.

"Thalia, hold on..." Reyna's voice sounded closer.

Thalia almost walked straight into a streetlamp and they moved away just in time to avoid smacking their forehead into it, but their left shoulder wasn't so lucky. They ignored the dull ache and kept walking.

" _Damn it, Thalia, will you please stop for a second_?"

Thalia spun around fast, but they weren't expecting Reyna to have caught up with them so fast. She was standing right there, her face only inches away from them.

"What do you want from me?" They snapped, gritting their teeth, their expression hardening.

"You. Fuck, I want you."

Thalia clenched their jaw harder, looking away from Reyna. They crossed their arms tightly over their chest. "Are you trying to hurt me on purpose?"

"No," Reyna breathed out, and when Thalia looked at her again, they noticed her eyes were red rimmed. "I'm trying to tell you that I do want you, because it also another sick, twist of fate, even when I tried to keep you away, I still— I don't know how t0... I'm scared. I've never been with anyone who could possibly hurt me, and you can. And it scares me. I don't know how to do this if I know that there's a chance that I might end up hurt."

"I would never hurt you, Reyna. Not intentionally," Thalia croaked, wiping a raindrop from their eye. It might also have been a tear. At this point, they weren't really sure anymore.

"I know, I know. It's just— Thalia, you know you're not the _safe_ choice. You've never settled down, you're literally all over the place—"

"Okay, so you're just calling me out now?" Thalia cut her off in anger but Reyna ignore them and kept talking.

"—And I've always done the safe thing. The right choice. But you can't choose your feelings and... I don't do well with feelings. I shut them out. And I know you're the same. So, I'm sorry if I hesitated but can you blame me?"

Thalia let out a heavy sigh. No, they couldn't exactly blame her. They knew she was right. They would be crazy to het into this relationship. But it would be even crazier not to when their heart was beating so fast right now and their hands were aching to reach over and grab her by the face to kiss her so badly.

"But do you want this?" They waved their fingers between the two of them. "Do you _want_ me? Fuck everything else. Do you want _me?_ "

Reyna was quietly observing them, her chest heaving with every breath. Her hair was matted to her face from the rain and she didn't bother pushing it away, and Thalia was getting impatient.

"Well?"

"I wanna go to fricken laser-tag."

Thalia blinked at her for a second and then chuckled in disbelief. They pushed their hair off their forehead, their mouth spreading into the ghost of a smile. "What?"

"I want the whole picnic date followed by laser tag followed by fricken mind-blowing sex. With you."

Thalia was surprised. They hadn't expected her to remember that particular conversation they had _months_ ago. They had barely even remembered it themselves.

"Do you mean it?" They asked, hopeful.

"Of course, I do," Reyna answered without hesitation. "That night. When you were telling me about that perfect date. I knew it. I knew I wanted that with you."

Thalia had to bite back their smile. They didn't want to bring their hopes up without being sure.

"Reyna... don't— don't do this if you're not—"

"Thalia," Reyna interrupted them, taking another step into their personal space. Her hand shot up and cupped their cheek. "I'm all in."

Thalia's own fingers wrapped around her wrist, holding on to her and desperately trying not to lose the contact. "You're all in?"

Instead of answering them, Reyna pulled them down and their lips came crashing together, rough and wet. Thalia's arms instinctively wrapped around her waist, pulling her flush against them. Reyna had never kissed them with so much urgency.

She finally pulled away, leaning her forehead against Thalia's as she tried to catch her breath. "I'm all in," she whispered against their mouth.

Thalia's lips slowly spread into a wide smile and they pulled her in again, kissing her deeply.

Thalia was vaguely aware of the honk that came from Hylla's car, Reyna's throwing the bird in her sister's general direction, and the car finally driving off. They didn't even remember how they ended up in the elevator, pressing Reyna against the wall as their lips moved together in a passionate kiss. But they did remember pushing Reyna against the front door once they were inside and attacking her neck with love bites and kisses.

Reyna's leg wrapped around their thigh and they grabbed it, hoisting her up until both her legs were wrapped around their waist. Reyna's lips were on theirs again, kissing them roughly, tongues brushing against one another. Thalia held her firmly and carried her through the hallway, all the way down to their bedroom.

It was a marvel, how they didn't bump into anything and managed to throw her onto the bed safely. And then, they stood there, clothes dripping from the rain onto their hardwood floor, and their chest was heaving up and down fast and heavy. And they looked at Reyna, her own chest rising and falling with each rugged breath, her lips plump red and swollen, her t-shirt sticking tightly to her torso, and they admired her. They had to take a moment to take her in. The way her eyebrows met in the middle, her lips only slightly parted, eyeliner smudged under her eyes.

She was beautiful. They had always found her beautiful, of course, but for the first time, they felt like they could simply stand there and admire her without feeling any guilt or embarrassment of any sorts.

"Come here," Reyna breathed out and reached up to grab them by the collar. She pulled them down to her level, nose to nose, and Thalia smiled at her.

"Hi," they whispered, their lips brushing ever so lightly against Reyna's, and they felt them tingle.

"Hey," Reyna murmured back, her lips curving upward in a smile. Her fingers loosened around Thalia's collar and moved up to their cheeks.

Thalia turned to the side and pressed a kiss on the inside of Reyna's palm. They softly held her hand over their cheek and leaned in, kissing her again slowly and passionately.

Reyna's hands moved to their hair, tugging at it as their kiss naturally became much more heated. Thalia pulled Reyna's bottom lip between their teeth before releasing it with a soft pop and they went to kiss her jaw, all the way down to her throat.

They felt the vibrations as Reyna let out a soft moan, encouraging them to keep going. They trailed their lips up her neck until they reached that sensitive spot they knew by heart already, just under her pulse point, and they sucked in the skin between their lips and nipped at it with their teeth as Reyna let out small noises of pleasure. She tilted her head backward to give them netter access and Thalia took the opportunity to give her more attention in that same spot, lapping over it with their tongue. And when they pulled back, they found the skin satisfyingly red.

Thalia nuzzled Reyna's cheek, pressing open-mouthed kisses along her jaw. "Can I take your shirt off?" They mumbled against her skin.

"Yes, please. It's starting to get annoying," she responded and Thalia chuckled. They sat up on their knees and grabbed the hem of Reyna's shirt, using a little more effort than usual while pulling it over her head. "Why are we always soaking wet in these situations?" Reyna asked once her shirt was finally off and tossed somewhere in the back of the room.

Thalia barked out a laugh and grinned toothily down at her. "I think it's foreshadowing," Thalia answered jokingly, a little smirk playing on their lips as they started pulling their own top over their head. They weren't wearing anything under the thick material of their sweater. They weren't expecting to be in this situation when they got dressed. But this was Reyna. They always felt safe around her.

"Foreshadowing what, exactly?" Reyna asked with an eyebrow raised and pulled herself up on her elbows.

Thalia dropped their sweater onto the floor and moved over her, straddling her waist. "Just how wet you're going to be," they told her in a huskier voice than usual.

They saw Reyna's expression visibly change from one that was amused to one that was completely dark and lust-filled and Thalia was enjoying it a lot. They ran their finger down the middle of her torso to the button on her pants and popped it open in one smooth motion.

"I bet you're going to be soaking wet."

"Why don't you find out?" Reyna said as she leaned all the way back against the pillows. Thalia let out a small laugh and slowly pulled the zipper down.

"I plan on it," they told her and reattached their lips to her neck while they hooked their fingers under the waistband of her jeans and started pulling them down.

They planted kisses all the way down her abs to her thighs which were already partially exposed. They dragged the jeans below her knees and followed with their mouth, leaving a trail of kissed on the inside of Reyna's right thigh. Thalia finally managed to get the jeans off, leaving Reyna in just her panties.

They had seen Reyna naked so many times before but every single time felt like the first, and today felt different. It felt better— more special. She was truly beautiful and Thalia wanted to show her just how they perceived her. They kissed the spot just above her ankle before grabbing her legs and spreading them apart so they could settle down between them. They used their fingers to tease her, slowly caressing her legs, moving up and down with a featherlight touch as their lips kept moving upwards, pressing against her skin every chance they got.

When they got to her thigh, Thalia found the sweet spot, sucking at it and lapping over it with their tongue until they left it bruised and raw.

They gave her left thigh the same amount of attention, taking their time, kissing a loose water droplet and playfully nibbling at her skin, slowly inching down the inside of her thigh, closer and closer to her pussy. Reyna's legs were fighting to move against the mattress and Thalia gripped them tighter, keeping them spread apart and steady in place.

Thalia's nose brushed right over Reyna's opening. They pressed a kiss over the material of her panties, just above her clit, hearing Reyna breathe in sharply. They could already see through the white cotton fabric how soaked she was and it had nothing to do with the rain they were standing under just moments earlier.

With a little smirk, they pushed the panties to the side with one hand and ran the pad of their middle finger all the way from the base to the top, slowly.

"God, you're already fucking soaking wet," they murmured hoarsely, dragging their wet finger around Reyna's clit, teasing it but never really directly touching it.

"Stop teasing, _please_ ," Reyna breathed out through gritted teeth, holding her arm up over her head. Her other hand dragged up to Thalia's hair and brushed it back and away from their face.

"How polite," Thalia chuckled before finally dragging their finger back down, making sure to brush over the small bud, sending what felt like a jolt of electricity up Reyna's back with the way she squirmed beneath them.

With a little amused, shit-eating grin, they pushed their finger only half-way in, dragging it in a circular motion around the edges of her walls before pulling back out and tracing around the shape of her opening.

They kept pressing soft kisses over the skin of her thigh while their finger slowly moved in and out, occasionally moving upwards to flick her sensitive bud, giving it just enough attention to get her agitated before moving back down and teasing her entrance.

Thalia started thrusting their finger in at a steady pace, going in as deep as they could and back out before delving back in. Reyna had closed her eyes, moaning softly under her breath.

"Fuck, that feels so good," she whispered, her fingers in Thalia's hair tightening just a little.

And then, Thalia moved just over her sex, and they closed their lips around Reyna's clit, and Reyna's legs almost closed against their head at the new feeling.

"Joder, give me a head's up, at least," Reyna moaned, looking down at Thalia through her lashes.

Thalia grinned up at her. "Sorry, baby," they responded and dipped their head back down, running their tongue up her slit.

"No, you're not," Reyna breathed out. " _Fuck_.."

Thalia used their finger and their tongue on Reyna, fucking her long and deep. As their tongue flicked over her clit, they brushed over the spongy wall, making Reyna whimper in pleasure.

"Can you take two?" Thalia asked, pressing a lazy kiss on her smooth skin.

" _Yeah,_ " Reyna barely managed to moan out. Thalia kissed the same spot again before thrusting in with two fingers instead and Reyna was a moaning mess, tugging at their hair as they flicked their tongue to mimic the motions of her fingers. " _Dios mio,_ Thalia. I'm— fuck. That feels amazing."

They kept moving faster and deeper until Reyna was a shaking, whimpering mess, and her walls clenched once around their fingers.

"Thal— I want you to— fuck, I'm close."

Thalia looked up to meet Reyna's eyes and their pace faltered for a second, moving slower, trying to prolong her climax.

"What do you want me to do, baby?" They asked her softly, watching her blink her eyes open to meet their gaze.

Reyna swallowed hard before answering. "I want you to fuck me—" she cut herself short as Thalia pushed her fingers back in hard, hitting her walls in just the right spot.

"I am fucking you," they chuckled, though they had an idea of what she really wanted. But teasing her was much more fun.

"No," Reyna muttered, her hand moving down to the back of their neck. "Thalia... god, fuck me with the— shit, right there, ah..."

"With the... what?" They asked her patiently, smirking against the skin of her leg where they pressed a small kiss. They kept pushing in, applying just enough pressure in that special spot to have her squirming around, gripping the duvet hard.

"The fucking— fuck, the strap. With the strap-on. Fuck, I'm so close," she whimpered softly and Thalia smiled as they kissed her leg again on the back of her thigh.

"I know baby, I've got you," they murmured reassuringly and moved to suck over her clit again, using the flat of their tongue to lap over it.

Reyna's swearing mixed between Spanish and English and fuck, it was the hottest thing they had ever heard. Her legs were quivering as her walls clenched hard against their fingers. They kept thrusting with precision until Reyna was shuddering mess, letting out a string of curse words as she came undone, unraveling around Thalia's fingers and coming in their mouth.

Thalia helped her ride out her climax, breathing heavily as her heels dug deeply into the mattress and when she had finally come back to them, Thalia pulled out gently and kissed her thigh before meeting her lips again with a quick peck.

But before Reyna could even catch her breath properly, Thalia was pulling her panties all the way down and dropping them to the ground. They smiled down at her, brushing their thumb over her cheek in a soft caress.

"Hey," they whispered and their smile only widened as Reyna blinked her eyes open, taking a second to focus on their face.

"Hello," she murmured back, still trying to slow down her breathing. Shit, she was cute. Thalia grinned lopsidedly and cupped her cheek in their hand, tilting her face up to capture her lips in a breathtaking kiss, and when they pulled away way too early, they left Reyna almost pleading for more.

She looked like she was about to complain and drag them down for another kiss but they didn't let speak. They traced their thumb over her bottom lip, dropping their grin a little.

"I'm going to fuck you now," they told her. "Really good."

Reyna seemed to have forgotten whatever it was she wanted to say. Her eyes darkened again considerably and she dragged her foot up the bed, bending up her knee. Thalia knew it was a good sign.

With a little chuckle, they pulled away from her and got up to their feet while dropping their wet jeans at the same time. It wasn't efficient to try and step out of their pants while walking toward the cabinet on the other side of the room but they managed. They opened the top drawer and reached toward the back where they found the strap and the purple silicone toy.

They held it up triumphantly with a cheeky grin as they walked back over to Reyna who rolled her eyes at them but still couldn't fight back a smile.

"Get over here already, you dickhead," Reyna grumbled from her spot on the bed, leaning up on her side to see Thalia better.

"You are talking about... this dick head, right?" They responded, holding up the dildo at her, watching it flop back and forth in the air.

"I'm definitely talking about you, dickhead," Reyna shot back though she didn't have much time to enjoy feeling smug because Thalia jumped back over her on the bed and pushed her on her back while straddling her hips.

"You're definitely not in any position to be calling me names," Thalia told her while adjusting the strap around their waist. "At least, you know, not insults," they added after a thought, smirking at her in amusement.

"I am not calling you _your grace_ ," Reyna snapped, all amusement gone from her expression and before Thalia could even argue, she added, "OR _supreme overlord_."

Thalia wondered how funny they looked with their lips pouting and a purple dick strapped to their pelvic area.

But Reyna was smiling up at Thalia and she reached up, lacing her fingers behind their neck and pulling them down to her level. She kissed them, slowly at first, but soon, she added her tongue, pushing it past their lips and brushing against their own and Thalia easily melted into her, holding her down by her hips as their kiss deepened.

" _Chíngame_ ," Reyna whispered against their lips and Thalia certainly did not need that translated.

Goosebumps rose all over Thalia's skin. They reached down between them and gently pushed Reyna's legs apart, aligning themselves with her entrance. They kissed her one more time, holding her face gently in their hand.

"Are you ready?" They asked her, making sure to meet her gaze.

"Fuck, yes," she breathed out, finding Thalia's hand and lacing their fingers together.

They gave her hand a small squeeze as they gently pushed the tip in. Reyna's eyes fluttered shut and Thalia nuzzled her neck as they sunk into her. They gave her a few moments to adjust to the new length that filled her up fully, and when Reyna's breathing settled down, Thalia started moving.

They thrusted their hips forward, pushing the cock all the way in before pulling back out. They went slow, thrusting at a steady rhythm, but it was enough to make Reyna moan softly in their ear.

Reyna's hands dropped down to Thalia's back, her fingers-tips digging into their skin as they softly pecked and nibbled on her neck. They pushed in deeper, rolling their hips just right, and Reyna's moans grew louder. Thalia was letting out soft sounds of their own, the strap-on shaft rubbing against their clit with every thrust.

Reyna's nails trailed back up, probably leaving red marks in their wake, but Thalia didn't have it in them to even care as her fingers tangled into their hair, pulling gently as she thrusted her hips up to meet Thalia's every move.

Thalia was multitasking. One of their hands was busy keeping Reyna's legs spread apart while their other hand moved between their bodies, circling her clit slowly. They peppered every last bit of skin they could reach with wet, open-mouthed kisses, and they knew they were pushing her close to the edge again. They slowed down their pace, but with every thrust, they pushed against Reyna's walls even deeper. The shaft kept rubbing up against them, driving them closer and closer to their climax along with Reyna. Both of their chests were heaving, their breathing ragged and Reyna's moans turned into soft whimpers.

Reyna wrapped her legs around Thalia's waist as they sucked in the skin just above her breast, leaving yet another love bite. They pulled back, sitting up on their knees and kept thrusting their hips forward, watching Reyna's contorted face closely.

"Fuck," they bit down hard on their lower lip. "You're so fucking hot, Rey, you know that?" They breathed out, running their hands up and down her legs softly.

They felt the coil in their lower abdomen tensing, their insides boiling hot as they inched closer and closer to release.

"Thalia," Reyna moaned in their ear, tugging harder at their hair as her heels dug into the back of their thighs. " _Mierda_ , Thalia, muy increíble."

God, her Spanish was so hot. Thalia's thrusts were becoming sluggish. They grabbed her hands, lacing their fingers together and pinning Reyna's hands against the bed. They leaned down, kissing her breathlessly. Their tongue slipped past Reyna's parted lips, drinking in every whine and whimper of pleasure. They tasted every inch of her mouth, the cock filling up every inch of her.

"Thalia— chingame mas duro, god," Reyna moaned and Thalia listened, fucking her harder.

They found her sensitive spot again, pushing against it with every thrust, making Reyna cry out their name loudly.

Thalia nuzzled their face into Reyna's shoulder, biting down gently on her skin. Reyna's back was arching, pushing their chests together. They held on to each other tighter, Thalia's thrusts became sloppier, trying to keep up the fast pace.

"Shit— I'm— I'm coming, _mi cielo_."

"Oh fuck," Thalia exclaimed. "Oh god, me too."

With a final thrust, Thalia stilled as they came over the edge and Reyna followed them only a second later, her nails digging into their back as her body convulsed in ecstasy. Thalia's only walls clenched around nothing and their stomach coiled in pleasure, their legs shaking.

Reyna's fingers softened against their skin and Thalia finally pulled out of her. Reyna winced quietly at the feeling of emptiness and Thalia murmured a soft apology in her ear as they sat up on their knees, unstrapping themselves and settling the toys on the nightstand.

Thalia collapsed next to Reyna, wrapping an arm lazily around her waist. Reyna moved into their embraces, nuzzling their neck, and Thalia breathed out heavily, feeling content. They pressed a kiss to her forehead, smiling widely to themselves. This all had to be surreal.

"Fuck..." Thalia breathed out into Reyna's hair.

"Indeed," she responded and it took them a whole five seconds of silence and trying to catch their breaths before they both burst out into laughter.

Reyna moved so that she was lying over Thalia, tangling their legs together. She smiled down at them as Thalia's fingers gripped her by the waist.

"Mi cielo..." Thalia murmured, smiling lazily up at Reyna.

"Hm?"

"You called me _mi cielo,_ during your tiny, incredibly hot, rant in Spanish," Thalia explained, brushing their thumbs over her skin in small circles.

"Oh, yeah," Reyna chuckled. "Do you not like it?"

"No, no, it's not that. It's just... what does it mean?" They asked, looking up to meet Reyna's gaze. Her dark eyes, usually so fierce and sometimes downright frightening, were surprisingly soft, glistening in contentedness.

"Technically, the literal translation would be like, my sky, or my heaven, but it's a term of endearment. Kind of like saying darling, or mi amor," Reyna explained, her voice soft and god, Thalia's heart had no business fluttering this hard.

They grabbed Reyna by the face, squishing her cheeks in their hands as they kissed her, long, and slow, and sweet. Reyna smiled against their lips as she kissed them back just as softly and when they finally pulled apart, she wrapped her arms around their waist and rested her head on their chest. Thalia nuzzled her hair and wrapped their arms around her waist, keeping her close.

They weren't sure how long they sat there, limbs tangled and cuddled close, stealing occasional kisses, but eventually, the fogs started scratching against the door, begging for attention, and Reyna untangled herself from Thalia and went up to the door to open it.

Aurum and Argentum ran inside, jumping on the bed and taking up all the rest of the free space. Thalia laughed, giving them both some behind-the-ear scratches, until they realised that Reyna was making her way into the hall.

They frowned, pushing themselves up into a sitting position. "Hey— stay? Please?"

She wasn't going to start pulling away already, was she? They really thought they were finally going to get the chance to actually _share_ a bed and actually _sleep_ in it and not just sleep together in it.

Reyna turned around, her hand gripping the doorframe, and she sent them a small, reassuring smile. "I'm just gonna go pee," she told them with a small laugh before turning around and making her way to the bathroom.

Thalia sighed and leaned back again their pillows, resting one arm under their head and their other hand on Aurum's fur as he had taken Reyna's previous spot in their bed. They stared up at the ceiling, chewing down on their bottom lip in thought when Reyna came back, just as promised.

She waltzed over to their closet instead of the bed though, and Thalia raised an eyebrow at her in disbelief.

"So, you're stealing my clothes already?"

Reyna turned around slightly to glance at them and shoot them a small grin. "Not stealing, just borrowing something warm."

They watched as she picked out an oversized plain white hoodie and slipped into it, leaving the cap covering her head. They beamed brightly at her.

"Can you toss me one too?" They asked, suddenly feeling the cool air in the room nipping at their skin.

Reyna rummaged through the folded sweaters and pulled out a navy on, holding it open to Thalia for approval. They just shrugged in response and she tossed it at them before flopping in bed right next to Aurum.

"The asshole took my spot!" She exclaimed, playfully angry at her dog.

Thalia laughed as they pulled the hoodie over their head and when their head popped through the hole, they saw Reyna wrapping her arms tightly around her dog and attacking his face with pecks. Argentum obviously got jealous and jumped over to her, whining as he begged for attention. Reyna laughed, grabbing him from behind the ears and kissing his forehead softly. Thalia watched, their heart doing yet another flip, and they realised they were so smitten, they might as well have self-combusted.

They leaned back against the mattress, smiling to themselves with their hands under their head. Reyna somehow managed to pushed her dogs to the foot of the bed and scooted over to Thalia's side, slipping under the covers. She laid her head against their chest again and they wrapped their arm around her, holding her close to their side.

Reyna seemed to notice their mind was racing with a million thoughts. Her hand grabbed their chin softly and she looked at them with a small frown. "What's on your mind?"

"You," Thalia answered, grinning teasingly at her. Reyna rolled her eyes, but she was still waiting patiently for them to tell her. So, they did. "What does this make us?"

"What do you want us to be?" Reyna asked, finding Thalia's hand on their belly and lacing their fingers together.

"What do _you_ want us to be?" Thalia countered. They knew what they wanted. They wanted Reyna. Exclusively. They wanted her to want it too, but not because they told her they wanted it first.

"Together," she replied softly, pulling their hand up to her lips.

"Exclusively?" Thalia asked, just to be sure, and Reyna nodded.

"Yes," she confirmed.

"In a relationship?"

"Yep."

"Partners?"

"If that's the label you're comfortable with, yes."

"As in dating?"

"Sure, I'd love to go on a date with you, Thalia Grace."

"Picnic and laser-tag?"

"I won't go if those aren't part of the plan."

Thalia grinned widely. They wrapped their arms tightly around Reyna, hugging her really close. They buried their face in her hair and kissed her forehead as she hugged them back.

"Reyna?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you."

She pulled back just enough to be able to look at their face, furrowing her brow in confusion at them. "For what?"

"For not pushing me away," Thalia explained, brushing a loose strand of hair behind Reyna's ear and settling their hand on her cheek, cupping it gently.

"Never again," she promised, grabbing their hand and pressing a kiss on their knuckles.

Thalia leaned up again, catching her lips in a deep kiss. Never again... they could work with _never again._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY! If anyone here speaks Spanish fluently, could you like correct the Spanish I have in this chapter? It's obviously not even close to being my first language though I know a little bit so I just wanna make sure I didn't butcher it hahahaha thank you!!!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys :) sorry for the wait! ive had a little bit of writer's block + uni is being a pain in the ass but anyway! enjoy this new chapter :) there is a smut scene but as some of the readers might be uncomfortable reading the details, i will be indicating where the pure smut begins and ends with a line so that you can skim through/over it if you want to! anyway, thank you :) i love you guys!  
> \- lou <3

It was dark. Too dark. Thalia was alone, hiding behind a large wall. They could hear screams and feet shuffling all around them, but they thought they were covered pretty well. With their all-black outfit, they blended in well with the background.

They saw a kid run in front of them, but the twelve-year-old didn't bother shooting them. He was probably out of ammo. Thalia raised their gun, pointing at the kid's chest as he held his hands up in defence.

But they didn't get the chance to shoot first. Instead, the kid was hit from the back. He let out a disappointed groan and ran off toward the exit. Thalia held their gun in front of them, eyes narrowed as they tried to see who was coming from the dimly lit corridor.

But they knew who it was before they had even seen her.

Reyna appeared from around the corner, gun held out in front of her and pointing directly at Thalia's chest.

Thalia smirked, holding their own gun up defensively. They had to admit, Reyna was standing oddly in a perfect stance and it made them just a little bit nervous (basically meaning very nervous.)

"So..." Thalia started, trying to figure out a way for them to get out of this alive. They couldn't think of anything. Stalling was their best option.

"So," Reyna repeated after them, looking a lot more confident than Thalia thought was possible. There was no way they were getting out of this. It was impossible.

Reyna took a slow step toward them. A neon red led cast a shadow over her face, and Thalia was kind of turned on.

 _Not the time_ , they reminded themselves. But then again... maybe it was the perfect time.

"You really don't have to do this," Thalia said, their grip around the gun handle tightening.

Reyna raised an eyebrow, her lip quirking sideways in thought. She tilted her head to the side and then grinned at Thalia, shooting them a grin. "You're right. I don't."

Thalia grinned back, dropping their hands just a little. Their eyes flickered down to Reyna's lips as she smirked back at them and then back up to meet her gaze. She took another step in their direction, loosening her own grip around her gun until it was hanging by its strap.

Thalia had to take a step back as Reyna kept walking toward them. She glanced behind her but they were practically alone here, perfectly hidden by the walls around them. The perfect hideaway. Thalia kept walking backward and Reyna kept approaching until their back hit the wall behind them and Reyna's face was just a few inches away from their own.

Thalia reached up tentatively, cupping Reyna's cheek with their hand and pulling her even closer. Reyna breathed out a small chuckle as her smile widened and she closed the distance between them, her lips brushing against Thalia's lightly, teasingly.

Thalia gripped her face with both hands and kissed her fully. Reyna's hand held them firmly by the waist, pushing them hard against the wall. Thalia was surprised by the turn of events, but they weren't complaining, really, especially when Reyna's tongue pushed past their lips, taking total control of the kiss.

They should've known what she was planning when she chuckled in the middle of their incredibly hot make-out session, but they were too busy being distracted by her lips that were impossibly soft and tasted a lot like cherries.

They heard it just as she pulled away. The loud, high-pitched sound of a laser-gun going off following the click of the trigger button.

Reyna had shot them, right in the chest.

Thalia was genuinely surprised and incredibly offended. They stood there, leaning against the wall as Reyna pulled back, smirking smugly at them, holding their laser gun out in front of them proudly. Thalia was too stunned to react. They couldn't even find the right words to say.

God, the audacity...

"But it's more fun like this," she said.

Reyna didn't even apologise. She simply kept walking backward until she disappeared into the shadows.

Thalia watched the spot she was standing in before leaving, their eyes wide and mouth hanging open.

"What the fuck?" They muttered out loud.

That did _not_ just happen.

They ran their fingers through their hair, trying to shake them back to reality. And when they finally came to, they were _furious._ They were impressed, but their pride was hurt. They were just played. By Reyna. And she beat them at their own game. At fricken Laser Tag. By kissing them. They felt utterly betrayed.

They stood there, trying to wrap their mind around it until they heard the loud buzz signalling the game was over.

They met Reyna outside. Thalia wasn't surprised when they found out she had won and absolutely obliterated everyone who was playing.

"How _dare_ you?" Thalia started while getting out of the vest which they shoved onto the counter along with the plastic laser gun.

Reyna was grinning in amusement while zipping up her jacket. "What?" She said innocently.

Thalia stopped in their tracks, crossing their arms over their chest, their tongue poking from the corner of their mouth.

"Unbelievable," Thalia murmured. They were mostly astonished and absolutely in awe of this woman. But they weren't going to let her know that just yet. She had to pay for humiliating them like that. As hot as it was, they still felt betrayed.

"Thank you," Reyna answered, her smirk turning a little too cocky for Thalia's comfort. She made her way toward them, already putting her face mask back on.

Thalia shook their head, letting out a small chuckle in disbelief as they slipped on their own mask and walked past Reyna toward the exit.

Thalia ignored her the entire way out, though they still held every door open for her. They were hurt, not a douchebag with no manners.

The two of them walked side by side outside along the sidewalk, in no particular direction. Thalia kept glancing at Reyna who was smiling so wide, the corners of her eyes were crinkling. It was really hard to even pretend to be mad at her at this point, but their ego was severely bruised. It was going to take a lot for them to accept what had just happened.

Reyna brushed her shoulder against theirs, her fingers teasing theirs. Their hand tingled and they had to do the impossible to stop themselves from reaching over and grabbing her hand. It was incredibly hard.

"That was fun. We should definitely do it again," Reyna spoke into the quiet evening. Thalia glanced at her to their right, shrugged their shoulders, and kept walking silently. It was fun, but they weren't going to give her the satisfaction just yet. "I saw you take out that little girl. It was a good shot. But then again, she was like ten or something."

Oh, so she was _mocking_ them, now? Way to rub it in...

Reyna seemed to be enjoying this way too much.

"I'm kind of in the mood for some hot chocolate, actually. You know, to celebrate my victory," she continued, her grin taunting.

Thalia glared at her.

"There's this really good place nearby. It's also on the way home, so." Reyna turned to glance at them and when Thalia didn't answer yet again, she rolled her eyes, wrapping her arms around theirs. "So, you're just going to ignore me, now?"

"No," Thalia grumbled, shoving their hands into the pockets of their leather jacket.

"You're pissed off?" Reyna guessed, and that thought seemed to amuse her. "I'm sorry, babe," she told them though she _really_ didn't sound apologetic.

"I feel used," Thalia muttered, pouting deeply. They hoped that Reyna could tell despite half their face being hidden behind the mask.

"You can't tell me you didn't enjoy it," Reyna whispered into their ear, and Thalia felt a shiver run all the way up their spin, and it wasn't because of the cool wind in the air.

"I still feel used, though," they insisted.

Reyna's eyes softened just a little. "I'll make it up to you," she promised, and then after a thought, she added, "after the hot chocolate."

They walked silently for another few minutes until Thalia's curiosity got the better of them. They turned to glance at Reyna who was still clinging to their arm.

"How?"

Reyna looked up in surprise as she was pulled out of her thoughts. "What?"

"How are you going to make it up to me?" They asked her, pulling their right hand out of their pocket and grabbing onto Reyna's left one, their fingers entwined.

Reyna took a second to think about it but then shrugged her shoulders and tilted her head to get a better look at Thalia as they kept walking down the sidewalk. "What do you want me to do?"

Thalia smirked, wiggling their eyebrows suggestively at her. "A lot of things," they chuckled. Reyna rolled her eyes and smacked their shoulder a little too hard for it to be considered playful but Thalia continued laughing.

"I genuinely don't understand how I'm so into you. You literally have the sense of humour of a thirteen-year-old boy," Reyna exclaimed in frustration as she dragged them toward a small shop and pushed the door open.

"First of all, it's cos I'm so hot, obviously," Thalia replied like it was the most obvious answer in the world. "Second of all, ouch." They pouted again but this time Reyna didn't bother trying to make them feel better about it.

She stood in line quietly, ignoring Thalia's presence next to her completely, only stopped to listen to them demand a lot of cream in their drink. Thalia could tell she was fighting back a smile even with her mask covering half her face.

They sat down at a small booth by the window on the same bench because even when they were pissed off at each other, Thalia still wanted to rest their legs over Reyna's who really couldn't be bothered to push them off anymore.

"Your white ass really shouldn't have asked for that much cream in your drink," Reyna said over her cup of hot cocoa.

Thalia grinned sheepishly, licking the extra foam around their mouth. Reyna was probably right, but they also wanted to enjoy their drink. "I'll be fine," they replied, though it felt like they were reassuring their own self more so than Reyna who really wasn't buying it.

"We're stocked up on Febreze, right?" Reyna asked, wrinkling her nose.

Thalia laughed, shoving her shoulder with theirs playfully. "Let me enjoy this drink for now, please."

Reyna laughed along but didn't tease them anymore. She rested her head on their shoulder, a small smile tugging at her lips.

"What are you thinking about?" Thalia wondered, their voice quiet enough only for her to hear them.

"How I'm going to make it up to you," she answered, her smile widening.

"How are you gonna do that?" They asked in amusement and curiosity.

Reyna shifted in her seat, sitting up straight against the back of the booth. She turned around to look them in the eyes and Thalia could feel their breath hitching in their throat with the look she was giving them.

"I'm not sure, I have a few ideas though," she responded, her eyes glinting amusedly. Thalia was growing impatient to find out.

"Like what?" They pressed on.

"You'll find out when we get home."

Reyna didn't give them any more information now matter how much they begged. Thalia couldn't afford to lose any more of their dignity though, so they didn't press her or beg any further although they were practically dying to on the inside.

When they got into the elevator, Reyna was leaning against their side as they rode up to their floor, nuzzling their neck and pressing soft and lazy kisses along their skin. Thalia loved the attention but they knew this wasn't what she had in mind at all and it was driving them crazy.

She grabbed them by the hand when the doors opened and used the other one to pull her keys out and open the front door for them. Thalia walked inside first and leaned against the wall to take their shoes off.

"Are you going to tell me now or do you want to tease me more?" They asked with a little huff as they undid the laces on their boots.

They heard the door's locks click in place behind them. They barely had time to kick off the first shoe when they felt Reyna's hands on their hips, pushing them flat against the wall and knocking the air right out of their lungs.

Reyna had the ghost of a smile on her lips, and it did nothing to comfort Thalia. But god, it was hot.

"Is this it?" Thalia mumbled, their eyes flickering down to Reyna's lips, soft, red, and so inviting.

"Not even close," she murmured back and closed the distance between them.

Thalia hummed in approval as their eyes closed and they melted against Reyna, kissing her back with as much passion as they could muster. Reyna smirked into the kiss, dragging her fingers under Thalia's shirt. Her hands were cold and Thalia's skin tingled under her touch.

They dragged their tongue along her lips and Reyna parted them, giving them access. Thalia pushed their tongue past her lips, brushing it against hers.

Reyna chuckled, slowly pulling away until they were a few inches apart, leaving Thalia almost whining for more.

"I need to take the dogs out for their evening walk," Reyna told them, taking a step back toward the living room where Aurum and Argentum had taken over the couch, too comfortable to have even moved to acknowledge their presence.

They wanted to scream in frustration but instead, they just smiled and followed her in, giving each of the hounds a small pat on the head.

"Sure, I'll be in the shower then. And then, your surprise?"

Reyna bit down on her bottom lip to fight back a grin and nodded.

"Of course. _Aurum, Argentum, veni."_

The dogs instantly shot up, taking a second to stretch their limbs and allow Reyna to clasp the leashes around their collars.

Thalia watched as she left with two overly-excited to poop dogs and with a heavy sigh once the door closed again, they made their way to the bathroom.

They stripped themselves of their clothes, making sure to neatly hang up their jacket behind the door. They didn't pay much attention to the rest of their outfit. Once they made sure the water was warm enough, they stepped under it.

It was comforting enough, but they still couldn't get their mind off Reyna. The searing kiss she had just teased them with. The way she had absolutely obliterated them at their own game. Fricken Laser Tag.

They were too deep in thought, thinking of Reyna's lips against theirs, against their skin, they didn't hear the bathroom door open. They were vaguely aware of the shower curtain being pushed to the side.

They felt Reyna's arms snake around their waist from behind. She rested her forehead against their shoulder, pressing a soft kiss to their back. With a little smile on their face, Thalia turned around in Reyna's arms and kissed her, chaste and sweet.

"Hi."

"Hello," Reyna responded, her lips spreading into a grin.

Her hands found Thalia's hips and she pushed them back against the cold tiles. Thalia felt a shiver run down their spine but they didn't pay it any attention. They were too focused on the look in Reyna's eyes. They couldn't figure it out which only made them want to find out what she was planning even more.

"Is this it?" Thalia murmured, their lips only a breath away from Reyna's.

"Is this what?" Reyna asked, nuzzling Thalia's cheek and brushing her lips over their jawline.

Thalia closed their eyes as Reyna trailed her lips toward their neck without any real pressure but it was enough to get their heart rate to accelerate considerably. "You making it up to me."

They felt Reyna's lips spread into a lopsided smile against their neck. And then she pulled away and shook her head at them. "No," was all she said.

Thalia lifted their brow. "So... what's this?" They asked, and then quickly added, "not that I'm complaining." They grinned, resting their hands on Reyna's sides, a little too close to her ass.

Reyna rolled her eyes but Thalia could see the amusement behind them. "I need to shower. My hair's a mess." She ran her fingers through her hair, ruffling it up some more.

Reyna's hair was definitely not a mess. Thalia didn't think they had ever seen her having a bad-hair day. But then again, her hair was almost always in a ponytail or a tight braid, even when she went to bed. Even now though, as the spray of water was wetting her hair, it still looked soft and pretty tamed. Even now, she looked beautiful and Thalia couldn't help but beam at her.

"So, this is not happening?" They asked, a little playfully, and a little disappointed, waving their hand between the two of them.

Reyna blinked at them for a second before furrowing her eyebrows bemusedly. "Are you talking about shower sex?"

"No, I'm talking about existentialism," Thalia snapped sarcastically, rolling their eyes at her. "Yes, I'm talking about fricken shower sex!" They chuckled in frustration.

Reyna seemed to think about it for a moment, though she kept moving further under the stream of water coming down from the showerhead.

"I mean," she started, once she was right under the water stream, her face slowly starting to break into a grin. "I hear you. But I actually wanna shower. And..." she smirked at Thalia, reaching behind them to grab the bottle of shampoo. "I was planning something else."

Thalia stood there, their hands on their hips, regarding her in disbelief. With a small shake of their head, they reached over and snatched the shampoo bottle from her hands.

"Here— let me," they told her as they opened the bottle cap and poured a dollop of shampoo into the palm of their hand. They set the bottle down and used their free hand to motion to Reyna to turn around. She didn't complain, turning around so Thalia was facing her back.

They reached up and started running their fingers through her hair, getting the shampoo to foam up. Reyna's head tilted back just a little as Thalia's hands combed through her hair, fingers massaging her scalp.

"Is it—" Reyna cut herself off, laughing a little hesitantly. "Is it weird that— I mean, it's kinda doing it for me..."

Thalia grinned, moving their fingers to the back of Reyna's neck. "I don't think it's weird. I'm kinda turned on, too."

"Yeah, but you're always turned on," Reyna shot back, turning around to shoot Thalia a teasing smirk.

"Shut up," they grumbled, flicking some foam on her face.

Reyna closed her eyes in defence and moved back under the water to rinse out the shampoo.

They watched her as she ran her own finger through her hair, neck craned back, water falling down her face and neck, all the way down her cleavage. Their stomach did a million kickflips.

Thalia had already washed up before Reyna had come in but as they watched her run the soft washcloth over her body, bending down to reach her legs, they thought they would need a second shower pretty soon.

They knew that Reyna knew that they were watching her. She was making it all incredibly hot on purpose. I mean, who the fuck's this hot in the shower? And she was smiling smugly, knowingly.

As soon as she had set down the washcloth, Thalia pushed her against the wall, pinning her arms with their hands, and they kissed her, deep and hard and passionate.

"You have _got_ to stop teasing me like that," they almost growled, their teeth grazing over her bottom lip.

Reyna laughed softly, her hands trailing up their back and tangling into their hair, gripping the strands a little tightly. Thalia didn't mind.

"It's so easy, though," she murmured against their lips. "And so fun." Reyna was grinning widely, enjoying Thalia's frustration way too much. But she wanted this too, maybe just as much as Thalia did, they figured, because she wasted no time in kissing them again, almost sucking out all the air out of their lungs.

Thalia couldn't help but moan into the kiss. They gripped her thighs and hoisted her up against the wall. Reyna wrapped her legs around their waist, cupping their face as she deepened the kiss, her tongue running over their lips.

Thalia parted their mouth, allowing her access but it wasn't long before it was their tongue pushing against hers, tasting every last bit of her, and god, she was intoxicating.

They pulled away when their chest started to ache and they took in a deep breath before reattaching their mouth to her skin. They went for her neck, attacking the pulse point they knew always drove her crazy.

Reyna tilted her head back against the cool tiles, giving Thalia easier access to her neck. They pulled the skin between their teeth, sucking at it until they left an angry red mark and Reyna moaning their name in their ear.

Thalia didn't waste any time. As their mouth kept exploring Reyna's neck, reaching all the way down to her breasts, their fingers moved between them, finding Reyna's slick entrance. They moved their finger up and around her clit, slowly, but before they could really touch her, Reyna's hand stopped them.

"Not yet," she said, pulling their hand away in the process. She gave their hand a little squeeze in reassurance.

Thalia frowned, pulling back just a bit to look at her face. "Everything okay?" They asked her worriedly.

But Reyna was smirking as she nodded in response. "Everything's great. Just— let's go to my room."

Reyna slipped down to her feet, reaching around Thalia to turn the shower off. She stepped outside onto the floor mat and grabbed two towels, handing over to Thalia and tying the other one around her body. Then, she held out her hand and Thalia took it tentatively before letting her drag them out into the hall and to her room.

Thalia was expecting things to look different, that maybe Reyna had a big surprise ready for them, but her room looked pretty much the same. She closed the door behind them to avoid another dog situation (they didn't exactly understand the meaning of privacy and intimacy, long story short) and pulled Thalia all the way to her bed.

"What's going on?" Thalia asked with a small chuckle, their heart beating with small hiccups, feeling slightly nervous.

Reyna pushed them into a seated position by the shoulders and then dragged her hands up until she was cupping their face.

"Something you're going to _really_ enjoy."

She gave them a quick peck on the lips and turned around, padding over to her dresser. Thalia watched her, still completely clueless as to what was going on.

"I'm just making sure I didn't read this," they waved their hands in the air in circular motions, " _situation_ , all wrong. We _are_ about to have sex, right?"

Reyna laughed softly as she pulled open the drawer and rummaged through it. "Yes, we are," she reassured them. She turned around then, strap-on in one hand and bottle of lubricant in the other.

Thalia raised their eyebrows in surprise. "That's a new one," they said, pointing at the very bright pink dildo.

Reyna nodded as she joined them again, standing between their legs. "Yes, it is."

Upon close inspection, Thalia realised that it was also a little bigger than the one they owned, probably an inch longer with a little more girth to it. "When did you get that?" They chuckled, grabbing the silicone toy along with the strap it came with from her hands.

"A while ago..." Reyna admitted, dropping the lube next to Thalia on the comforter. Her hands rested over their shoulders, tracing small circles with her thumbs.

"Before we started dating?" Thalia asked, adjusting the straps visually to their size.

"Yeah... well, right before we stopped the whole, no-strings-attached thing." Reyna sounded a little bit embarrassed, her cheeks slightly tinted red and it wasn't because of the hot shower steam from a few moments earlier.

Thalia glanced up at her, meeting her gaze. They grabbed her waist with one hand, grinning up at her. "Shame we never got to try it before."

Reyna agreed with a nod and a small smirk of her own. "Real shame." She cleared her throat and clapped her hands against their cheeks twice, making sure she didn't hurt them. "Put it on already."

"You're feeling a little too much of a top today, babe, and I'm not sure how I feel about this," they told her, pushing her back a few steps and getting up to their feet.

"You're enjoying it," Reyna responded with a cheeky grin, flopping down against the mattress and leaning up on her elbows to watch Thalia as they dropped their towel to the floor and started pulling the strap over their legs.

"Yeah, it's kind of awakening things in me," they admitted, sending her a small wink across the room.

"Good. Now, come here!" Reyna ordered, patting the spot on the bed next to her.

Thalia chuckled and walked back over to her, a little slower just to tease her. But they couldn't help but glance at the bright pink dick and let out a small laugh.

"It's so pink..." they exclaimed, standing at the edge of the bed. Reyna sat up and laughed, getting rid of her own towel.

"Kinda suits you," Reyna said, settling her hands on Thalia's hips.

"Does it?" Thalia asked in a quiet voice, raising an eyebrow at her and Reyna nodded, her hands slowly trailing a little lower until she was holding them by their, kneading the skin between her fingers.

"Mhm, absolutely," Reyna murmured. She took Thalia completely by surprise when she leaned forward and pressed a small kiss just over their navel. She brushed her lips over their tattoo of a scale, moved to the olive branch tattoo just above the V-line in their pelvis.

Reyna ran her tongue over Thalia's abs, licking the stray droplets of water from their shower, occasionally sucking at their skin above their hipbone. Thalia was left speechless, but there wasn't anything they wanted to say, anyway. They didn't want her to stop, too keen to find out where she was going with this.

* * *

They really weren't expecting it when she dipped her head and wrapped her lips around the girth of the cock and they almost staggered back, completely taken aback, but they kept their feet firmly planted into the carpet under them. Thalia's fingers moved to the back of Reyna's head, tangling into her wet locks as she started bobbing her head back and forth. She went at a slow pace, taking in the top half of the cock only, but it was enough to have Thalia's insides coil at the image, a heat settling in the pit of their stomach.

Reyna ran the flat of her tongue over the pink silicone dick, all the way up from the shaft to the tip, and oh god, wow, Thalia's breath hitched in their throat just watching her.

"Fuck, you look so hot," Thalia breathed out, biting down hard on their bottom lip as Reyna's lips closed over the tip again.

Thalia held back a moan as Reyna slid down to the shaft, swallowing the whole length, and she worked her mouth expertly up and down the shaft expertly. And Thalia realised it probably wasn't the first time she had done this, even though it was the first time with them. Jealousy built up in the pit of their stomach and they tried to push it down, but they couldn't help it.

Thalia pulled back, the slick cock hanging loosely before Reyna's lips, swollen and angry red. There was a small dip in her brow as she frowned up at Thalia but they didn't give her time to ask, nor did they explain. They grabbed her by the back of the head and leaned down, crashing their lips against hers in a desperate kiss, tongue sliding over her mouth and against her tongue. They pulled her up to her feet and Reyna moaned at the slight tug to her hair, her lips still moving with theirs, their kiss hard and fiery.

Thalia pulled away, their chest heaving heavily as they tried to catch their breath. They loosened their fingers, brushing them down through Reyna's hair as she slowly blinked her eyes open. Thalia shot her a little smirk, sitting back down on the edge of the bed, thighs spread open. They pointed at the spot between their legs.

"Knees."

Reyna raised her eyebrows, a little surprised at their sudden change but she really wasn't complaining, kneeling down between their thighs, no questions asked. Thalia leaned back, holding their weight up with their palms over the mattress, watching Reyna as she closed her fingers around the shaft of the silicone toy, settling her other hand over their thigh.

She caught Thalia's gaze as she swallowed the tip of the cock again and Thalia's insides swirled as their walls clenched over thin air. That woman was going to be the death of them, really. Reyna's mouth glided all the way down to the shaft, her head bobbing up and down at a constant pace, causing the harness to press back against them and their walls started throbbing with every motion from Reyna.

Thalia's fingers found their way back into Reyna's hair, brushing it back and away from her face. They leaned their weight on their other elbow so they could still watch Reyna's face as they guided her through her expert motions. The shaft of the strap-on pushed harder against their clit and Thalia bit down harder on their bottom lip.

"Shit, Rey, you're gonna make me come like that," they groaned through gritted teeth. Reyna hummed in response, sending vibrations from her throat down the silicone shaft. Fuck, their walls were clenching over thin air, and— Reyna stopped, pulling away with a soft pop. The cock flopped back and forth, dripping wet over Reyna's lips and Thalia's thigh.

They used their thumb, swiping it over Reyna's mouth slowly to wipe it. "What?" They breathed out, the one word barely sounding comprehensible. God, they weren't even sure they could remember basic English at this point.

Reyna's face was a little redder, her eyes slightly watering from swallowing the entire length. She spread her hands over each of Thalia's thighs, running her palms slowly up from their knees to their hips, and back down.

"I wanna ride you," Reyna told them, her voice coming out a little raspy and out of breath, but Thalia heard her, loud and clear. Though, that didn't stop them from almost choking on their next breath.

"You— what?"

Reyna smirked, slowly getting up to her feet and placing her hands over their shoulders. She leaned down so that her face was just a few inches away from theirs, her hair cascading around them like curtains.

"I want to ride you," she reiterated, enunciating each word clearly.

"Oh, jesus fucking christ—" they couldn't even get themselves to finish whatever they wanted to say, mostly because they didn't know what to say, and because they were pulling her down again, kissing her desperately.

Reyna was smirking into their kiss as she climbed into their lap and straddled their thighs. Thalia gripped her by the waist, keeping her steady. They trailed their lips down her neck, kissing every freckle, every small bead of sweat, and Reyna craned her neck, giving them easier access.

Thalia's face was buried deep in the crook of her neck, grazing their teeth against her skin, when Reyna reached out and grabbed the bottle of lube. Thalia kept giving her neck attention, sucking and nibbling at the skin as she opened the bottle cap and poured some of the gel over the silicone, slowly rubbing it all over it. Thalia felt the pressure against their sensitive bud as Reyna's hand moved up and down and they could imagine what it would feel like once they were inside her.

"You better not have left a hickey," Reyna murmured as she tossed the bottle behind them on the other end of the bed.

Thalia pulled away to look at her face and smile sheepishly at her. "You should've spoken sooner..." they replied, eyeing the small bruising mark just above her collarbone.

"You're lucky it's cold enough to wear turtlenecks," Reyna muttered, though she didn't really sound all that upset about it.

She grabbed Thalia's chin with her other hand and leaned down to capture their lips in a slow kiss. As her tongue slid over their mouth, her other hand guided the cock between them, positioning it just right as she hoisted her hips up just a little. She slid back down over the 8-inched cock and her mouth was left hanging open as she sunk down onto the toy, filling her up completely.

Thalia's hands moved down her sides, gently caressing her soft skin and they murmured encouraging words in her ear, pressing soft kisses along her jaw.

They ignored the burn in their own core, focusing on helping Reyna as she slowly started moving, rocking into their lap, moving around the cock that filled her up nicely. And god, Thalia was transfixed, almost spellbound as they watched Reyna move up and then sink back down in their lap. Her fingers trailed up their neck and into their hair, pulling at the strands at the nape of their neck. She had her lower lip pulled between her teeth and her neck was craned back as her back arched in pleasure, and Thalia couldn't look away. She looked like a true goddess.

Thalia started moving their own hips, trying to march Reyna's pace, meeting her halfway with their thrusts.

"Fuck, Thalia— I'm so full," she whined, her face contorted with pleasure.

Reyna leaned her forehead against their shoulder as her movements became much sloppier and Thalia could tell, she was getting closer. Their own insides felt like they were on fire, their walls already clenching tight with each press of the harness against their clit, rubbing up and down, matching Reyna's hips.

Reyna found their hands on her sides and laces their fingers together. Her mouth moved up their shoulder and neck, pressing open-mouthed kisses along the way until she was kissing them again, hot, heavy, and so passionate. Thalia swallowed back her every moan and whine and Reyna pushed them back until they were lying flat against the mattress and she was hovering over them, still straddling their waist.

She kept sliding up and down the cock, and Thalia thrust their hips upwards, sinking deeper into her. And they could imagine that it was them, that _they_ were filling her up so nicely, that they were hitting her in just the right spot to get her to moan their name so loudly. And the harder she moaned, the closer they got to the edge.

"Dios mio— Thal, I'm so close. Fuck."

Reyna sat up, back arched, hands splayed over their ribs, and Thalia watched her in mesmerisation, her hair cascading over her shoulder, her breasts, plump and round, bouncing with every stride, her hips rolling just right.

"You feel so good, baby," Reyna moaned, and it was all it took for Thalia to reach completion, watching Reyna's contorted face as she sunk down, deep and sloppily over the cock, taking it all in.

Their insides clenched hard, and they let out a string of soft moans, refusing to look away from Reyna. She was absolutely surreal as she rocked her hips harder.

Thalia's hand moved between them, finding Reyna's clit and rubbing it in slow circles. They kept thrusting their hips forward, helping her, even with their own sensitive member still throbbing.

Reyna's mouth turned into an O shape, and her legs suddenly stilled. She was coming, her whole body convulsing in Thalia's lap. They held her close, murmuring encouraging words in her ear as she spilled over the edge.

Reyna slumped forward, chest to chest with Thalia, and her face buried in their shoulder. Thalia wrapped their arms around her waist, rubbing her back gently and Reyna sighed contentedly into their neck.

When her legs had finally stopped shaking, she slowly slid off the strap-on and lay down right next to Thalia, arms wrapped tightly around their torso.

* * *

"Fuck..." she breathed out, ever so eloquent.

Thalia let out a soft laugh, grinning widely as they tried to regain their breath. "Fuck, indeed..."

Reyna laughed along, turning around to press a kiss to their jawline. "How was that?"

"Perfect," Thalia answered almost instantly. "Do you realise how fucking perfect you are?" Thalia sat up suddenly, looking at Reyna with a very serious look on their face. "You're literally... so perfect. Shit," Thalia laughed, leaning down again to kiss her breathless. "I love you."

Reyna was blushing hard, and all she could manage in response was to wrap her arms around their shoulders and pull them down for another breath-taking kiss.

When they pulled away again before their lungs exploded, Thalia got up to their feet to unstrap themselves. They placed it on the nightstand and then jumped back into bed, snuggling up under the covers. Reyna scooted over to their side, legs tangled, arm loosely slung over their torso.

"Did I make it up to you?" She asked them, a small, playful smile tugging at her lips.

Thalia grinned, pressing a soft kiss to her temple. "Fuck yeah, you absolutely did."

Reyna chuckled softly, nuzzling her face into their neck. They held her close, a wide smile on their face until they heard her breathing slow down into a steady pattern as she fell asleep, and it wasn't long before they passed out, right after.

When they woke up the next morning, Thalia was alone in bed. Well, not exactly. Reyna wasn't there, but her spot was occupied by a large hound with a grey mane. They chuckled, reaching over to scratch the dog's neck. He looked up, a little surprised after being woken up abruptly but he just set his head back down over his paws and went back to peaceful snoozeville.

With a small stretch and a yawn, Thalia slipped out of bed and into the cool morning air of Reyna's bedroom. They went through the motions of freshening up and getting dressed for work before stepping into the kitchen where they found a blueberry muffin next to a cup of coffee on the counter.

There was a post-it note on the coffee cup and Thalia recognised it from the stack that Reyna was using for the exam she had been cramming for earlier that week.

_You're such a heavy sleeper, jeez. This coffee's probably gonna be cold by the time you're up, but it's the thought that counts, right?_  
_have a nice day, mi cielo._  
_x your fav girlfriend_

Thalia let out a small laugh as they pulled the note off the cup and went to stick it on their bulletin board in their room, right next to the several drawings that may or may not have been Reyna inspired, and one of the pictures from the shoot they had done with her.

The coffee wasn't _too_ cold. They drank it in quick sips as they made their way to work and threw the cup in a recycling bin just outside the train station before munching on their muffin.

Their day at work was the same as usual. They baked a few cakes, decorated them once they were out of the oven, and set them aside in boxes before the customers came to pick them up.

As they waited for another batch to bake, they sat up on the counter, phone in hand while texting their friends. They could have socialised with their co-workers, but frankly... they would rather not hear about Katie and Meg's boyfriend problems, as nice as those girls were.

 _Wise Girl: shouldn't you be spelling out_ Happy Birthday _on a few cakes or something?_

_Pinecone Face: shouldn't you be designing a penis-shaped skyscraper or something_

_Wise Girl: IT WAS ONE TIME. AND IT DIDNT EVEN LOOK LIKE A PENIS_

_Seaweed Brain: it totally looked like a penis_

_Pinecone Face: see?_

_Wise Girl; shut up_

_Seaweed Brain: :)_

_Wise Girl: Wait actually_  
_Wise Girl: can u make me a cake_

_Pinecone Face: if you pay me the 30$_

_Wise Girl: ew no i'mbroke_

_Seaweed Brain: that sounds like a you problem_

_Wise Girl: go back to studying, idiot._

_Pinecone Face: what do u want a cake for_

_Wise Girl: im hungry_

_Pinecone Face: fine, i have nothinf better to do anyway!_

_Wise Girl: omg are you serious?_  
_Wise Girl: I'll literally be there in ten minutes_

Annabeth was not kidding. She was there exactly ten minutes later. Thalia let her in round the back to the kitchen, hoping their boss was not going to show up that day. They managed to pull these stunts pretty often and they haven't been caught yet.

"So... Why are we making a cake?" Thalia started, standing over the counter and cracking the eggs into the mixing bowl.

"We're celebrating," Annabeth answered, leaning her elbows over the counter and popping a few chocolate chips into her mouth.

Thalia frowned, glancing up at her for a moment as they stepped away to throw away the shells. "Did I forget someone's birthday?" They really hoped that wasn't the case. As far as they were concerned, the only birthday coming up was theirs, and that wasn't for another few weeks.

"Mine, three years ago."

Thalia rolled their eyes, flicking a pinch of flour at her. "Shut up, that was an honest mistake!"

Annabeth was grinning playfully as she shoved another handful of chocolate chips into her mouth. "I know."

"And stop eating those, I could get fired, you know," Thalia snapped, slapping her hand away from the container. Annabeth sighed, wiping her hand with a tissue paper before leaning sideways against the counter so she was facing Thalia. "What are we celebrating then?"

"You getting laid, consistently by the looks of it."

Thalia stopped whisking and turned around abruptly to look at Annabeth, eyes a little. They hadn't told her yet about their relationship with Reyna. It had only been going on for less than a week. They could barely even believe it was real themselves. But of course, nothing ever got past Annabeth.

"The nails?"

Annabeth snorted. "Dude, it's a dead giveaway."

Thalia sighed, glancing down at the three fingers with much shorter nails than the rest. Of course, Annabeth noticed. They grabbed the whisk again and went back to mixing the cake batter.

"Are you going to tell me who it is?" Annabeth asked though it sounded a lot like she already knew the answer, but she just wanted Thalia to confirm it.

"Reyna, obviously," they told her after a small pause. They were very aware of the frown that settled deep in Annabeth's brow.

"After what happened on Thanksgiving?"

Thalia shrugged, focusing their attention on the batter. They could have used the electric mixer, but honestly, they preferred using their own hands when they weren't short on time. It was kind of therapeutic. "It's different this time."

"Thal, you were practically crying when you called me last week," Annabeth said. She wasn't accusing them of anything, even though it kind of felt like it. Thalia knew she was just looking out for them, but Annabeth always came on too strong. They were used to it.

"I was not!" They defended themselves, and then they felt a small smile tug at their mouth when they remembered the day it all happened, five days ago to be precise, and all that ensued. "We made up," they explained briefly.

"With more casual sex?" Annabeth wasn't exactly inquiring.

"It's not casual," they mumbled, suddenly feeling the spotlight on them. But still, thoughts of their previous night flooded their head, and they thought back to the small note Reyna had left them with the coffee and the muffin and they smiled brightly, having to bite down on their lip to hold it back just a bit.

Annabeth was taken aback. Thalia was pretty sure they had never seen her look this surprised. "Uhm... what? Explain. Now. Right now. Tell me what _not casual_ means. What the hell do you mean?"

Thalia actually had to laugh. "Dude, I don't know. It just means it's not casual. Like, I mean I guess we're dating?"

Annabeth actually slapped them on the shoulder and Thalia had to slide as far away from her as possible to avoid getting decapitated or something. There were a lot of items in this kitchen that Annabeth could use as weapons, and Annabeth could turn just about anything into a weapon.

"WHAT THE FUCK? AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ME?"

Thalia grimaced, holding their hands up defensively. "I was going to, of course. Eventually..."

"When did it happen?"

Thalia held out the whisk in front of them in defence. "You're not gonna keep slapping me, are you?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes but she folded her arms over her chest, telling them she was going to be nice.

Thalia sighed, but still, nervously, they answered. "Just after Thanksgiving. She came back home. We fought. A lot. I think I told her I wanted to be skewered like a rotisserie chicken. It freaked her out. Then, I told her I love her. And then a lot more shit happened. Then she said basically that we should be together, like exclusively. And then we had really awesome make-up sex. And the next morning. And that evening, too. And the morning after that. And the day after that. And yesterday."

Annabeth nodded along, grimacing at the last part, but she was listening, the scowl still settled on her face. Thalia could tell there were a million thoughts racing behind that steel glare of hers. "Okay, uhu. And, when were you going to tell me any of this?"

Thalia shrugged again, breaking their gaze with Annabeth and going back to working on the cake batter. "Pretty soon. Just... I just wanted to make sure that, you know... that it's real, you know?"

Annabeth seemed to understand. Her expression softened considerably and her tensed shoulders relaxed. She took a tentative step forward, holding out her hand toward Thalia, and clasped their shoulder, giving it a small comforting squeeze. "Is it?"

Thalia smiled, pulling their lip between their teeth as they nodded. "I think so... I mean, she called herself my girlfriend, so that's a good sign, right?" they chuckled and walked back over to the counter to grab a baking pan.

"Sure," Annabeth chuckled. She held the bowl for Thalia as they started scooping the cake batter into the pan, spreading it around into a perfectly round shape. "That didn't sound too sure, though," Annabeth noted, her voice soft as she regarded Thalia with an eyebrow slightly raised.

"I mean, I am sure that she wants to be with me. Just last night— it was pretty, obvious, I mean—"

"Okay, yeah, please don't go into details!"

Thalia smiled sheepishly, setting the now-empty bowl aside. "Sorry... Anyway. It's just—" Thalia hesitated for a moment, glancing down at the chocolate batter. They grabbed the spatula and started aimlessly dragging along the cake batter, creating tiny peaks and watching them melt back down. "She never said it back."

"That she loves you?" Annabeth inquired for some clarification and Thalia nodded, dropping the spatula and moving to toss the pan into the preheated oven.

"Yeah, I mean, I've said it... twice, already, I think. She didn't say it back either time," Thalia mumbled as they closed the oven door and went back to slump over the counter, not really caring that they were getting flour all over their clothes.

"You have to give her time. It doesn't come easy for everyone," Annabeth said softly. Thalia noticed her grabbing another handful of chocolate chips but this time they really couldn't be bothered to stop her.

"I know, it's just— it didn't come easy for me either. I still said it though cos it's true, you know? And like— I don't know. I know she wants to be with me but... is it because she loves me or because I'm just right there and it's convenient and because of my great ass?"

Annabeth wrinkled her nose jokingly. "Your ass is not that great."

"Hey!" Thalia pointed the dripping spatula at Annabeth's face. "You can bounce a quarter off those cheeks, Chase."

Annabeth groaned, turning around to fake-gag. "You're horrible."

"Your ass is horrible."

"No, it isn't."

"It really isn't," Thalia sighed, giving her a small shake of their head.

Annabeth chuckled as she pulled herself all the way up so she was sitting on the countertop. "Just give her time. She'll say it when she's ready."

Thalia nodded, letting out a small huff while watching the cake in the oven as it slowly started to bake. Annabeth slid over to their side, still oh the counter, and she wrapped her arms around their neck, hugging them close.

"What's that for?" They chuckled, snuggling up into their best friend's side.

"I'm happy for you!" Annabeth explained, almost squishing all the air out of their lungs. Thalia laughed as they tried to escape her death grip.

"Thanks Annie," they responded with a genuine smile and a kiss to her cheek.

As if on cue, their phone buzzed and they pulled it out to see a notification from Reyna.

 _reyrey_ 🥺💜 _: do u wanna go get lunch? what time does ur shift end again?_

Thalia smiled and opened up the camera, holding it up so that both them and Annabeth were in the picture. They snapped a quick selfie, them with a huge, shit-eating grin on their face and Annabeth flipping them off at the last second, making it a little blurry but they sent it anyway.

_Mi Cielo: Annabeth says hi!_

_reyrey_ 🥺💜 _: tell her i said hi!_  
_reyrey_ 🥺💜 _: and u didnt answer my question_

_Mi Cielo: im almost done! Annabeth wanted a cake tho so I'm making her one_  
_Mi Cielo: where do u wanna meet?_

_reyrey_ 🥺💜 _: oh whats the occasion?_  
_reyrey_ 🥺💜 _: and anywhere i dont mind_

 _Mi Cielo: burgers pls and thank u_ ❤️  
_Mi Cielo: and because she found out im getting laid <333_

 _reyrey_ 🥺💜 _: wait youre getting laid????? :O_

 _Mi Cielo: aha ha ha ha ha yes i am_ 😌

 _reyrey_ 🥺💜 _: who's the unlucky lady_

_Mi Cielo: ): u realise you just insulted us both ):_  
_Mi Cielo: and also it sounded very different last night_  
_Mi Cielo: it sounded like you thought u were rly lucky actually_  
_Mi Cielo: if i remember correctly, something that sounded a lot like "you feel so good" was screamed out so_

"Ew, what the hell, dude?" Annabeth groaned, sliding all the way to the other side of the counter.

" _Dude_ , why the fuck were you even reading that?" Thalia exclaimed, locking their phone screen. Honestly, they weren't all that embarrassed. They had very little shame but, there were a few things they liked to keep private, and those few things mainly consisted of their intimacy with Reyna. It meant a lot to them.

"I didn't mean to and now I need to go bleach my eyes!"

Thalia rolled their eyes at her exaggeration. It wasn't even _that_ bad.

 _reyrey_ 🥺💜 _: we don't have to go to lunch. we can just meet back home_

Thalia grinned cheekily at the thought, but their stomach still grumbled. Sex could wait.

 _Mi Cielo: but burgers_ 🥺🥺🥺

 _reyrey_ 🥺💜 _: fine_ 🙄 _where do u wanna get some?_

_Mi Cielo: five guys?_

_reyrey_ 🥺💜 _: sure :)_  
_reyrey_ 🥺💜 _: miss u!_

_Mi Cielo: SIMP_

_reyrey_ 🥺💜 _: not as big a simp as u are <333_

 _Mi Cielo: always for u baby_ ❤️  
_Mi Cielo: i miss u too!!!_

With a smile on their face, Thalia slipped their phone back into their pocket and went to check on the cake.

"Wanna come to lunch?" Thalia asked Annabeth as they settled the pan onto the counter again, waiting for it to cool down before flipping it into a take-away box.

"With you and Reyna? No, thanks."

"I always third-wheel with you and Percy, though," Thalia complained, grabbing some frosting and other toppings Annabeth asked for.

"Yeah, but we're fun!"

Thalia scrunched their nose, grimacing at her. "You guys are straight. There's nothing fun about that."

"Sure, whatever helps you sleep at night," Annabeth rolled her eyes jokingly.

"Literally nothing does," Thalia countered as a joke but Annabeth looked at them very seriously.

"Thal, that's not something to brag about..."

"Eh," they shrugged and moved on to finish decorating the cake. They finally closed the box and handed it over to Annabeth. "Take good care of my child."

Annabeth chuckled, holding the cake firmly in her hands. "Don't worry, it will be warm and happy in my belly. And probably Percy's."

Thalia chuckled and gave Annabeth a quick hug before they finally parted ways.

Thalia sent Reyna another selfie while they were on the train to tell her they were on their way which she totally saw and definitely chose to ignore. When they got to the restaurant, they found Reyna waiting outside, typing away on her phone.

"So, you can send other people texts but you can't reply to your significant other's incredibly hot picture?"

Reyna looked up when she heard their voice and even under her face mask, they could tell she was grinning. "More like my significant annoyance."

Thalia rolled their eyes, pulling their mask down to show Reyna that they were pouting. Reyna laughed, moving her own mask just enough so she could peck their lips quickly. Thalia's pout instantly dissolved into a beam. They held their hand out and Reyna entwined their fingers together.

"Hi, baby," Thalia greeted her officially, kissing her cheek before placing their mask back over their face.

"Hola, cielo," Reyna smiled brightly at them and opened the door to the restaurant. "Do you wanna eat at the park?"

"Picnic?"

"Kinda."

"Sure." They leaned their head against her shoulder as they stood in line, waiting to give their order. "How was your exam?"

Reyna groaned, shaking her head profusely. "Nope, it's over. I don't wanna talk about it anymore."

Thalia chuckled, running their thumb comfortingly over the back of her hand. "You probably got an A."

"Of course I did. But it doesn't mean it wasn't shit."

Thalia laughed louder, stepping up to the counter and dragging her along next to them. They gave the employee their order and Thalia pulled their wallet out before Reyna could beat them to it.

"You got me breakfast. I'm getting lunch. It's only fair."

Reyna clicked her tongue in frustration. "That was like, less than ten dollars."

Thalia rolled their eyes and handed the cashier their card. "Shut up and let me buy you lunch?"

Reyna looked like she wanted to complain some more but she didn't and Thalia felt pretty smug for having won this battle.

They grabbed their food to go a few minutes later and walked hand-in-hand to the park just a few streets away. They found an empty picnic table and sat down next to each other with the food splayed out over the wooden top.

"So, hey, I have a question," Reyna started, biting on one of her fries.

"Yeah?" Thalia answered before taking a big bite of their burger.

Reyna turned to face them and then she cringed, letting out a small laugh. "God, you're such a messy eater!" She grabbed a napkin and dabbed it over Thalia's cheek to clean the stray ketchup on their face.

Thalia grinned crookedly at her before taking another bite from their food. "What's your question?" They asked through a mouthful of cheeseburger.

"Right, well— man, that is not attractive," Reyna muttered and Thalia shoved her with their shoulder playfully, sticking their tongue out childishly. "What do you want me to refer to you as?" She finally asked as she unwrapped her own burger.

"Oh," Thalia set their burger down and chewed their food like an actual human being as they wiped their hands with a clean napkin. "I mean, partner is fine, or significant other. But they're kind of lame."

"I'm thinking of making My Significant Annoyance official."

"Ha-ha," Thalia said dryly, turning go face Reyna on the bench they were sharing. "I prefer Their Royal Highness. Or Stormageddon, Dark Lord of All. Supreme Overlord works too. Uh... Comrade is perfect I think. But you have to say it in a Russian accent. Mate, in an Australian accent. Oh! Partner but said like a cowboy. Like— _partner."_ They attempted a southern accent and obviously failed miserably.

"Yeah, I am not calling you any of those in public," Reyna decided, turning back to take a bite from her burger.

But it left Thalia hopeful. "So, you'll use them when we're alone?"

Reyna clearly wasn't expecting them to find a loophole in her words. She chewed slowly and swallowed her food. "Maybe..." she finally said, taking a quick sip from her soda.

"Do it," Thalia said, a huge excited grin on their face.

"What? No." Reyna glared at them, busying herself with the food.

"C'mon, you said you would!" Thalia pleaded, poking her arm through the fabric of her parka repeatedly.

"I said maybe!"

"That's not a no."

"It's not a yes either."

Thalia grabbed Reyna by the face, forcing her to look at them, a single fry dangling between her teeth. They gave her their best puppy-dog eyes and pouty lips, and Reyna slowly pulled the fry into her mouth, chewing slowly, still a little startled. "Please."

"Fine— partner." Reyna huffed, swatting Thalia's hands away.

"Nope, do it like a cowboy would."

Thalia could tell she was getting irritated but it was worth it.

"If I do will you let me eat in peace?"

"Sure, I promise."

"Fine. _Partner."_

Her accent was a lot better than Thalia had expected. It was a lot better than theirs, for starters. But they still burst out laughing, falling forward and leaning their neck against her shoulder as they shook with laughter. They felt Reyna shaking as well, laughing softly in their ear.

They pulled away eventually, returning to their food but they remained close enough to Reyna that their thigh was pressed against hers. They felt her eyes boring into the side of their face and when they turned around to face her, she was smiling brightly, her eyes crinkling.

"What?" They asked, a little self-cautious. They grabbed another napkin, rubbing it all over their face. "Did I get more sauce on my face?"

Reyna laughed and shook her head. "No, you're good," she reassured them. Thalia tossed the napkin back onto the table and Reyna brushed their cheek with her thumb, her smile almost contagious. "You're really cute."

Thalia felt the heat rushing up to their cheeks, and they hoped they could pass it off as just being cold. Reyna noticed though because she beamed brightly and cupped their cheek in her hand and pulled them in for a kiss, slow and sweet and pretty chaste and Thalia loved every last second of it.

"Reyna—" they murmured against her lips, and Reyna pecked them once more, stopping them mid-sentence and they forgot their train of thought.

"Thals," she whispered, caressing their cheeks with the pads of her thumbs. Thalia could tell there was a lot she was trying to say and they understood. They could see it in her eyes. They didn't feel so bad about it anymore. They knew Annabeth was right.

"I know, Rey. It's okay," they reassured her, placing one of their hands over hers comfortingly. Reyna took their hand in hers and laced their fingers together, giving it a small squeeze.

"No— you said it last night and I know I didn't say it back but—"

"Hey, it's okay. _I know,_ baby," they murmured gently, sending her a small smile. "It's okay that you're not ready."

"Thalia," Reyna said, her voice much clearer. "Te amo."

Thalia didn't need to know any more Spanish to understand her. She said it assertively and they knew she meant it. Their face slowly broke into a grin and they pulled her in, kissing her deeply, but they couldn't contain their smile.

"Te amo too," they responded, making Reyna laugh softly and give their hand another squeeze.

She hadn't exactly said it in English; Thalia understood that she wasn't ready yet. But it was enough for now.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw// panic attack 
> 
> ++ hope you are all doing okay!!

Reyna dropped her backpack carefully on the floor by the door and kicked her boots off as she closed the front door behind her. She only had a single lecture that morning and had the rest of the day off.

She wasn't surprised when neither one of her dogs greeted her by the door, which meant Thalia was still home and they were probably stuck to their side. The apartment was oddly quiet though. The kitchen was empty, the living room was pretty much in the same state it was in before she had left three hours ago, and the door to Thalia's room was slightly ajar, the same way she had left it after waking them up in the morning for their classes.

And of course, she really wasn't surprised when she found them still in bed, their laptop open next to them and their professor going on and on about the lesson. Except, Thalia was asleep.

Aurum and Argentum were both lying down on the carpet at the foot of the bed, also snoozing, but they both sat up as soon as they saw Reyna, tails wagging.

"Hi, babies," she greeted them, crouching down to their level to run her fingers through their fur and give them each a kiss on the head.

She got back up to her feet after accepting a lick on the cheek from each one of the greyhounds and walked up to the bed, peeking over Thalia's shoulder to see the computer screen. Thankfully, their camera was off. Reyna wouldn't have put it past them to nap in the middle of a lecture with their camera on.

She pulled the blanket back and slipped into bed right behind Thalia, wrapping her arms around their waist.

Thalia hummed in their sleep, flipping onto their back, and then, they slowly blinked their eyes open, a sleepy frown settling on their face. Their blue eyes were bright and a little glossy with sleep, staring up at Reyna in total confusion. She smiled at them, leaning down to kiss their forehead.

"You're supposed to be focusing on class," Reyna murmured, using their hand to brush their hair off their forehead.

"What— huh? What're you doing here?" Thalia responded, still disoriented and lost.

"Do you want me to leave?" Reyna asked jokingly with a raised eyebrow, pointing in the direction of the door.

Thalia pouted, shaking their head, and turning around to face Reyna. They threw a lazy arm around her waist and scooted over to her side, burying their face into the crook of her neck. "No, you're warm."

Reyna chuckled softly, nuzzling their hair. She could smell their favourite coconut-scented shampoo, mixed with the faint smell of baby cologne they loved using at night, and honestly, Reyna had grown to love it. She had also noticed that they no longer smelled like cigarettes as often; she wondered if it had anything to do with them getting together but either way, just their scent alone made her smile.

"Are you okay?" Reyna asked them, her voice muffled with their hair but Thalia heard her words and nodded their head.

"Mhm, just tired," they mumbled back, pecking Reyna's neck softly.

"Do you have anything else today?"

She glanced up at the computer screen, left unattended, thinking about how Thalia could really be so uncaring about their classes. She couldn't afford not to focus in her classes.

Thalia nodded again, their fingers running under Reyna's hoodie and settling on her bare skin on the small of her back. "An extra lecture at five," they grumbled.

"Okay, well, it's twelve-thirty right now, and you gotta get out of bed, babe," Reyna told them. She trailed her fingers up the thin fabric of their t-shirt, gently rubbing their back in hopes to get them out of bed, but she had a feeling it was pretty much doing the exact opposite.

"I don't have to," Thalia replied, their words interrupted by a small yawn. "I can stay here all day if I want to. And you can stay here too. And we can just cuddle until tomorrow."

Reyna had to admit, their plan was very tempting. All she wanted to do was undress to her t-shirt and underpants level and even get rid of her annoying bra. And staying in bed with Thalia all day sounded like a pretty great day. But then again, she had deadlines that unlike them, she couldn't just ignore.

"I hear you, but I've also got a lot of shit to do," Reyna said, using her free hand to tilt Thalia's face so she could look at them better. Thalia was wide-eyed and pouty and Reyna had no idea how they managed to look so adorable when they were all disheveled with sleep, but they did. "Have you even had breakfast yet?" She asked them with their eyebrows furrowed, reaching over to adjust their septum piercing for them.

Thalia scrunched their nose, sticking their tongue out until it poked Reyna's finger.

"Thalia—" Reyna huffed, pulling her hand back to her side and wiping it with her hoodie.

"No, but I'm not hungry."

They were grinning unapologetically for licking her hand, but Reyna was a little concerned now.

She grabbed them by the waist and flipped them over until they were on their back she was straddling their hips. She found their hands and tangled their fingers together, catching their gaze.

"C'mon, get out of bed and I'll make you pancakes."

"Tempting..." Thalia answered, tilting their head to the side against the pillow in thought. "Hmm, but it's okay. I'm good."

Reyna frowned. "Thals, you gotta eat."

"I will!" They exclaimed. "For like, lunch, or something. Now, get up or come cuddle me again."

"Nope, I'm not getting up until you get up."

"How am I gonna get up if you don't get up?"

Reyna stopped for a second to think about it, and they might have been right, but she wasn't going to back down now. "I'm not getting up."

"Have it your way then."

Reyna was about to ask them what they meant, pretty confident that it was an empty threat, except for the fact that Thalia put all of their weight and strength into wrestling her off them. Reyna let out a surprised yelp, but she held on tight, refusing to move. Thalia seemed to have anticipated that because they tangled their legs around hers and used them to flip her over to the other side of the bed.

Unfortunately, Reyna remembered the open laptop too late, and Thalia didn't even seem to realise it was there. The class had seemingly ended, and the device had gone quiet in the past few minutes but they were too busy to notice. Reyna tried to stop herself from demolishing the laptop but her leg still ended up falling over it, closing the screen with a painful snap.

"What was that...?" Thalia asked, sitting up in bed, suddenly alert.

Reyna grimaced, sitting up as well and pulling the laptop out from under her. She handed it over to Thalia whose eyes were practically bulging out of their sockets.

"Shit— shit, shit, shit..." They grabbed the laptop from Reyna's hands and fumbled to get it open.

"Is it... is it still alive?" Reyna asked, cringing as the sound of it closing still resonated in her ears.

She watched as Thalia managed to pull the screen open and released a sigh of relief.

"It's not broken."

Reyna fell back against the pillows in relief. But then...

"FUCK!"

"WHAT?" she exclaimed in fear. She sat up so fast she might have given herself whiplash. She moved to glance over the laptop to get a look at the screen, but it pretty much looked the same, still working.

Thalia laughed and shoved her back down against the pillows. "Nothing, I just wanted to scare you."

Reyna's mouth hung open in disbelief. "Asshole!"

Thalia laughed some more as they set the laptop down on the bedside table where it would be safe. Then, they turned back to face Reyna who was already trying to slip out of bed. They caught her, wrapping their arms around her waist just as she set her feet onto the floor.

Aurum got up, walked over to her, and set his chin on her knees, expecting some attention now. She gladly gave him all the attention he needed, ignoring Thalia.

"Where you going?" They asked and though Reyna couldn't see their face, she could practically feel their pout.

"I told you, I have things I have to get done."

"Do me, I'm more fun."

Reyna turned around to see them grinning at her lopsidedly. She chuckled and shook her head at them, leaning down kiss her dog's nose.

"What do you say, buddy? Should I stay here or not?"

Aurum barked softly, as though he understood whatever she was telling him and Reyna laughed, giving him a long scratch behind his ear.

"He says I should leave you to rot in this bed while I go do something productive."

"Bullshit, he clearly wants us all to sit in bed all day and do nothing," Thalia corrected her, but they corrected her all wrong, of course.

Thalia tried their last shot at getting Reyna to stay, falling backward onto their back with their arms still wrapped around Reyna's waist and dragging her down along with them. Though, they weren't expecting the elbow they received to their side — which was absolutely, completely accidental — as Reyna fell back against them. Thalia groaned, letting go of Reyna to grab onto their side and roll over to their front.

"Dude..." they croaked, trying to massage the spot with their fingers.

Reyna smiled sheepishly, pushing their hand away and replacing it with their, soothingly rubbing the spot her elbow had poked. "Lo siento," she apologised softly, leaning over to kiss their back. It was totally Thalia's fault that they got elbowed, but she still felt a lie guilty.

Reyna managed to roll out of bed at last while Thalia watched her with pouty lips and their hands tucked under their chin. Reyna stood in front of them and held her hand out to them, wiggling her fingers in their face.

"Alright, I'm gonna go out and run some errands, and you can come with me, or stay here and sleep all you want, but, boba is part of my errands and I'm not gonna get you your usual."

Thalia sat up faster than Reyna could even process it, looking genuinely offended and hurt by her words. "You wouldn't be so cruel."

"You wanna try me?"

"Okay! Okay! I'm out of bed!" Thalia pulled the covers completely off their bare legs and stepped on the floor. They stretched their arms behind their back until some part of them cracked _really_ loudly, and Reyna cringed a little at the sound. Thalia looked pretty satisfied though. "What kinda errands are we talking about...?"

"I'm out of jelly beans," Reyna explained, watching as Thalia walked over to their dresser to pick out a change of clothes. "And I _know_ you ate the last packet."

"But you forgive me anyways because you love me?" Thalia shot her a boyish grin, holding on to the sides of the closet doors.

"Something like that," Reyna muttered and rolled her eyes, but she wasn't really upset, even if she did usually get pretty selfish with her jelly beans. "We also need food."

"We have like a ton of ramen," Thalia answered and Reyna was trying really hard to decipher whether they were being completely serious or not. She couldn't figure it out.

"We can't survive on spicy chicken noodles, Thals," Reyna sighed, leaning against the wall with her arms folded over her chest.

"Actually, we can. We've got like, enough to last us a month, actually," they answered without really turning around to look at her. They pulled out another t-shirt, a flannel, and a black sweater, along with a pair of black jeans.

"You might be able to go a month eating nothing but noodles but I need actual vegetables," Reyna told them, knowing how much of a buzzkill it made her sound, but seriously, she liked having a working bowel system and a pretty awesome set of abs that she knew for a fact Thalia loved.

"Ew, that's lame. But we're getting boba right after, right?" Thalia asked while shrugging on their sweater to finalise their outfit.

Reyna chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, baby. Whatever you want."

Thalia's head poked out from the sweater's collar and they grinned at Reyna, their hair all dishevelled and spiked up in all sorts of directions. She walked over to them, kissed their cheek quickly, and ran her fingers through their hair until it was semi-tamed.

"I'm just gonna head to the bathroom and freshen up before we go," Thalia said, pecking her lips quickly before dashing toward the bathroom.

In the meantime, Reyna went ahead to grab her coat and slip into her sneakers. Thalia was taking a little bit more time than usual so she headed over to the kitchen to grab a snack while she was waiting for them. She managed to eat an entire bag of barbecue flavoured chips (it was a small one, but still) and Thalia still wasn't done.

Slightly worried that they might have drowned in the toilet, Reyna made her way over to the bathroom and knocked twice on the door.

"Are you still alive in there?"

Thalia's response came a few seconds later. "Yeah, you can come in."

Reyna pushed the door open expecting to find Thalia pooping or something - they had done that a countless amount of times and as used to it as Reyna was, it wasn't exactly fun being there. Instead, to her surprise, she found Thalia in front of the bathroom mirror with an eyeliner pen in their hand. They had a little bit of makeup already on, accentuating the sharpness of their features, especially their cheekbones and jawline, and bringing out the blue in their eyes. The final touch was the little bit of eyeliner they were tracing around their right eye. The left one was already done and pretty well, Reyna noted. It usually took her thirty minutes to get a single wing done but no, Thalia's artistic hand got it done in just a few minutes.

It was a subtle look, one they didn't wear often, but it was still _Thalia_ , and Reyna couldn't help but smile at them fondly.

"You're wearing makeup," she said, taking a step closer to them. The bathroom door was left open and soon it was almost impossible to move about when Aurum and Argentum, ever the curious and attention-seeking puppies, came crashing in, desperate to be involved in any activity Thalia and Reyna were ever engaging in.

Thalia smiled sheepishly, combing their fingers back through their messy hair. They had added just a little bit of product to it to tame it but their baseball cap was hanging from their pocket which meant it was going over their hair to complete their outfit.

"Uh, yeah, Not feeling too masc today. Or femme. Actually, it's a pretty neutral day."

"You look really handsome, babe," Reyna told them, her smile only widening. She reached over and grabbed their face between her hands, squishing their cheeks in, and then leaned in and gave them a smooch on the cheek.

Thalia scrunched their nose and swatted her hand away, though Reyna wasn't oblivious to the slight pink tint in their cheeks and she knew for a fact they hadn't used any blush in their make-up routine.

"Shut up," Thalia grumbled and pushed past Reyna to get to the hallway, but she didn't miss the small smile that spread over their mouth while pushing their hair back under the baseball cap.

Reyna chuckled to herself, following Thalia out into the hall and toward the front door. She grabbed her bag and Thalia grabbed their own belongings and skateboard before finally leaving for the store.

They decided to go to the nearest store that was just a few blocks away. It was a pretty pleasant ten-minute walk— well, Reyna was walking, at least. Thalia was busy riding their skateboard and making sure they didn't trample anyone on the sidewalk.

When they finally got to the store, Thalia popped the board up with their heal without even stopping and caught it pretty smoothly with their hand, tucking it under their arm. Reyna was honestly impressed and well, it was a pretty hot move. She caught up to them and took hold of their free hand as they walked into the store.

"So, which way first?" They asked casually and Reyna had to snap her focus back to reality as she was still thinking about the way Thalia had dismounted the skateboard.

"Oh... uh.... produce, so... it's in the back, I think."

Thalia nodded and started leading them in that general direction, chuckling softly. "What's on your mind?"

"You," she replied with a little grin she knew Thalia could see in her eyes even with the mask covering half her face.

"Damn, do I really look this good today?" They joked, letting out a low whistle and elaborately checking out their own outfit.

"Yeah, don't let it get to your head now," Reyna chuckled and finally stopped in front of the produce aisle.

"Too late for that," Thalia answered, sending Reyna a playful wink. She rolled her eyes and let go of their hand so she could pick out the groceries.

Reyna was in the middle of trying to pick out some lettuce when Thalia called her name.

"Yeah?" She hummed back without really turning to look at them as she placed the vegetable into the shopping basket.

"Look at this!"

Reyna turned around with an eyebrow raised only to find Thalia holding three tomatoes in their hands. She knew what was about to happen before it had even occurred.

"Thalia... just put the tomatoes down, please."

"No, I can juggle! Look!"

With an excited glint in their eyes, they started throwing the tomatoes into the air one after the other until they were juggling, not so gracefully, Reyna realised. She wanted to laugh because honestly, their enthusiasm was adorable and it was pretty entertaining, but then they lost control of one of the tomatoes and it fell with a _splat_ against the floor followed by a second tomato, and then a third.

Thalia stood there in defeat, watching the now damaged fruits staining the floor with a bit of their juice, their eyes wide in disbelief as if they couldn't even believe they had just dropped them. They weren't exactly professional jugglers, or even amateur.

Reyna cleared her throat awkwardly as she noticed an employee walking by.

"Dude... pick 'em up," Reyna sighed, her eyes darting up to see if the employee had noticed, but the guy didn't seem to even care or notice.

"I can't believe I dropped them..."

"Yeah, well!" Reyna laughed softly because it was kind of a funny situation. "Just pick them up, Thal."

Thalia had their pouty eyes on as they crouched down and picked up the three tomatoes that were all bruised now. "Do you think I can just slip them in the back and like, no one would notice?"

"There are cameras everywhere..."

"So, you're just gonna pay for them?"

"No," Reyna chuckled, turning back around to continue picking out fresh produce. "You are, dearest."

Thalia looked like they wanted to complain but they finally let out a defeated grunt and threw the tomatoes into her basket. "Fine, I guess I can be ethical and do the right thing."

"That's my lover!"

Thalia chuckled, playing bumping into Reyna's side. "Do you... want tacos for dinner?"

Reyna gasped dramatically. "Wait... you're actually considering eating something that isn't cup noodles?"

"Aha-ha... yes, I am. And I do not eat noodles all that much!"

Reyna stopped what she was doing just to stare at them with nothing but seriousness in her eyes. "You have three cups yesterday alone."

Thalia was quiet for a few seconds. "Whatever! I'm gonna go get taco shells and like beans and stuff."

Reyna smiled in amusement and nodded while practically shoving them in the other direction. "Sure. We'll meet at check-out in five?"

"Cool," Thalia held up two fingers in a peace sign before running off and disappearing in another aisle.

Reyna returned to her task, filling the shopping basket pretty much to the brim with real food which Thalia always complained about but did spend a lot of time eating whenever they were hungry or Reyna had leftovers in the fridge.

She waited at the side next to the check-out lines once she was done, waiting for Thalia to reappear. They were a few minutes late, which didn't surprise her at all. Thalia tended to get pretty distracted easily. They probably wound up at the candy aisle or the fridges with all the frozen foods. But as the seconds turned to minutes, Reyna was getting a little impatient so she pulled her phone out and called them except Thalia didn't pick up.

With a frustrated groan, she tried to call them again while making her way toward the aisle where they were supposed to be. She listened to the phone ring while looking around for the familiar tall figure but she couldn't find them anywhere and they weren't picking up.

Finally, she spotted the familiar worn-out black vans at the end of the candy aisle, typical... Except, as she walked closer, she realised that Thalia was down on the floor with their back against the tall stands and their head hidden between their knees.

There was a middle-aged crouched down next to them, but she looked pretty confused and worried, her hand carefully set on their shoulder.

Reyna rushed over to their side as worry sat heavily in her chest. She kneeled down to their side, keeping just a bit of distance to give them space.

"Thal? Are you okay?" She asked, swallowing back her worry, trying to keep her voice steady.

Thalia looked up as they heard Reyna's voice, a look of relief washing over their face but their cheeks were still flushed and their chest was heaving as they tried to take in deep breaths but it didn't seem to be working.

They tried to answer her question with words but their voice seemed stuck in their throat. They went for a nod which quickly melted into a shake of their head.

"Okay... it's okay, cielo. It's just a panic attack. Deep breaths, okay?" She tried to keep her voice calm and levelled as best as she could.

Thalia nodded, looking up to meet Reyna's eyes; their own pupils were wide and dilated and they really looked scared. They tried to take in a shaky breath and Reyna did it with them, trying to get them to breathe in and exhale with her.

The middle-aged lady shared a distressed look with her and seeing that Reyna seemingly had it under control, she took a step back, thankfully. Thalia needed their space.

Reyna pulled her face mask off so Thalia could see her breathing better. They tried to match her rhythm but it wasn't really working.

"We're gonna do the 5-4-3-2-1 thing, okay?"

Thalia's eyebrows furrowed in confusion and they reached out, clasping Reyna's hands in theirs rather tightly but Reyna didn't mind as long as it could ground them. "The- what?"

"It'll help, mi cielo, I promise," she told them softly, giving their hands a reassuring squeeze.

Thalia only nodded in response, still trying to steady their breathing. They started tracing random figures on the back of Reyna's hands with their thumbs and Reyna sent them a comforting smile.

"First, tell me five things that you can see right now," She asked of them and though Thalia was still confused and in disarray, they nodded, trying to focus with her and help her help them.

"There's— you. I can see you. And—" they looked to their side, squinting up at the old lady who was still standing there awkwardly. "There's a _Karen_ ," they muttered, a little too bitterly for Reyna's comfort which only made her think that it was all that woman's fault somehow. "I can— shit, I can see my skateboard. And there are some skittles right there..." they pointed at a bag of candy that was sitting on the floor next to their skateboard and a pack of tortillas, which was the next thing they mentioned. "And tortillas..."

"Okay, good. Now, four things that you can feel. Can you do that, baby?"

Thalia grimaced a little but they still nodded, swallowing hard before answering. "My heart is beating _really_ fast... like faster than when I see you naked."

Even when they're having a panic attack they're still cheeky... gosh.

Reyna chuckled softly, gently rubbing their hands. "What else?"

"My throat is so... tight and dry. My head— fuck, it feels like it's going to explode Rey. I'm scared..." their voice broke at the end and Reyna felt a small pang in her chest but she couldn't let her guard down now. She had to be there for Thalia.

"It's okay, Thals. You're doing great. Three things that you can hear?"

Thalia closed their eyes shut tight, pulling one hand back to rub their forehead. "A baby— a baby's crying somewhere. The wheels of a cart. And... your voice. I can hear your voice, and your breathing."

"That's perfect. Two things you can smell?"

"Those goddamn tomatoes—"

Reyna actually had to let out a small chuckle at that and Thalia joined in briefly.

"And, your perfume."

"One thing you can taste?"

Thalia swallowed hard, and Reyna could tell it was difficult for them to do so.

"Metal... it tastes _metallic_."

Reyna squeezed their hand reassuringly. But despite their final answer, she noticed their chest heaving had eased quite a bit and their breath intakes weren't as sharp anymore.

Reyna went back to taking in deep breaths and letting go with a heavy exhale. Thalia followed suit, matching Reyna's breathing perfectly until it started coming naturally.

"How are you feeling?" Reyna asked softly, pulling their hands up to her lips and leaving a soft kiss on their knuckles before tucking them under her chin.

"Better," Thalia breathed out. They finally opened their eyes, sniffling a little. "How did you—" they swallowed back, their grip on Reyna's hands loosening a little but they never let go. "How did you do that?"

"I kinda did some research after your first anxiety attack, on how to help," she replied a little sheepishly.

Thalia hadn't had a panic attack this bad in a few months, and after that first one that she was there to help them with, she had spent the rest of the night googling how to help someone with severe panic attacks and had made a few notes of the methods that seemed the most helpful.

She remembered when she used to have attacks this bad when she was younger and though she had Hylla to comfort her, most of the time she had to deal with them herself. She was so grateful to have Hylla by her side, but she was just as young and really not qualified to help, as hard as she tried. Reyna knew what it was like, so seeing Thalia panicking, it made her want to help in the best way she could, and spending hours at night reading medical articles and research studies on panic attacks and how to really help seemed like the right way to go about this. Hugging them with her purple blankie and retelling made up pirate stories wasn't exactly going to help them as it helped her when she was a kid.

"Thank you, god," Thalia whispered, leaning their forehead against Reyna's.

"You wanna get out of here?" Reyna asked, giving their knees a small squeeze. Thalia nodded, taking Reyna's hands in theirs and let her pull them up to their feet.

They dusted off the back of their pants and sniffled some more, wiping their nose with their sleeve. Reyna reached over to fix their baseball cap for them and smiled softly. Thalia smiled back appreciatively and found her hand, lacing their fingers with hers, as though to keep them grounded, and Reyna gladly held their hand.

She bent down to grab the discarded basket and had to let go of Thalia's hand to retrieve the rest of the items on the ground and throw them in. Thalia was reluctant to let go of Reyna, their fingers curling into her palm as she was pulling away and Reyna felt a twist in her chest to have to let go, even if it was just for a few seconds. They reached down to grab their skateboard, but as soon as they were both in order, Reyna grabbed their hand firmly, silently promising not to let go until they wanted to.

As they started walking down the aisle again, Reyna noticed Thalia glancing back to where that middle-aged Karen was standing but she was gone, the spot instead replaced by another college-student-looking guy. Reyna felt protective of them, her jaw setting as she saw the still uncomfortable look in Thalia's eyes. She had no idea what had happened to trigger their panic attack and she didn't want to pry until Thalia was ready to tell her themselves, but she just had this big urge to protect them and make sure nothing ever hurt them like that again.

They stood in line at the cash register silently and they didn't say another word until after they had paid and made their way outside, carrying the shopping bags between them.

"Are you doing okay?" Reyna finally asked once they were a few blocks away from the store. She glanced sideways at them, only to find Thalia's eyes trained on the concrete floor beneath them. 

"Yeah, I, uh, the fresh air's nice— even with the stupid mask," they responded with a small huff, adjusting the weight of the shopping bags in their arms. "It's just— I don't actually know what happened... I just, one second I was looking through the candy racks and the next I couldn't breathe—" they cut themselves off, probably to avoid reliving that dreadful feeling.

"Is it— I mean, you didn't wanna go out today and I kind of pressured you into—"

"No, baby, god no. I wanted to come with you. It's not that. I think... I don't know, maybe the eyeliner? Or that _Karen_ who was giving me the side-eye. She didn't day anything but I know she had a lot to say. I don't know..."

Thalia let out a soft sigh, hugging the grocery bags closer.

"It's okay," Reyna told them reassuringly. "Sometimes, panic attacks can be triggered by nothing, just accumulated stress maybe. You can't really help extraneous conditions that might trigger them."

"Those are a lot of scientific terms," Thalia answered with a soft chuckle. "You really did do your research, huh?"

Reyna rolled her eyes, playfully bumping her shoulder against theirs. "Yeah, I found enough material to write a ten-page essay about it, all single-spaced."

"Nerd," Thalia teased her and Reyna didn't really mind. She was glad they were back to their usual self.

"I'm here for you, if you ever need me, yeah?" Reyna felt the need to reassure them.

Thalia rested their cheek against her shoulder as they kept walking. "I know, Rey. Thank you."

They walked in comfortable silence for another few blocks, in no particular direction, but getting as far away from the store as they could.

"Are we still getting boba?"

Reyna glanced at Thalia and smiled softly at them. "If you want to, sure."

"I think there's a shop just a few minutes' walk down that street," they pointed with their chin to the opposite street.

They started walking down that street, hand in hand until they finally made it to the shop. They got their usual order, Reyna with her milk tea and tapioca and Thalia with their tropical fruit tea and popping pearls, and sat outside on an empty bench, watching random passersby.

"Do you mind if I...?" Thalia had pulled their earphones out from their backpack and they held them up with their phone, the Spotify app already open on their screen. "I just need to kinda, just chill for a sec, you know?"

"I get it," Reyna responded softly. She reached over to tuck a stray strand of Thalia's hair behind their ear, and her hand lingered on their cheek for just a second too long. Thalia snuck a kiss onto her palm before she brought her hand back to her side.

They smiled appreciatively at her and Reyna grinned back, planting a kiss on their temple and nuzzling their hair. They put their earphones in and closed their eyes, tuning out the world around them.

Reyna took this opportunity to watch them closely. She counted the freckles that were peppered over their nose and cheeks; she found herself thinking about those same freckles a lot recently— she loved them. She watched the small curve of their lips, moving just a little as they hummed along to the song they were listening to. She also usually found herself thinking about those lips during the day. She admired their perfectly sculpted nose, small and narrow, naturally upturned at the tip, and still perfectly complementing the rest of their features. And of course, the small nose ring that shimmered just a little in the faint sunlight. 

She watched as they took in a deep breath and exhaled softly through their mouth, and going back to humming a familiar tune. They opened their eyes and pulled their drink up to their lips to take a small sip. They noticed Reyna's eyes looking at them intently and they smiled at her a little awkwardly, their eyebrows furrowing confusedly.

"What is it?" They asked with the paper straw between their teeth, pulling one earbud out.

Reyna chuckled, grinning sheepishly at her partner. "Nothing, I just like staring at you," she told them, her hand moving to grab Thalia's free one and holding it in her lap.

"Why?" Thalia grimaced, their thumb running over the back of Reyna's hand, and took another sip of their tea.

Reyna rolled her eyes, her grin widening. "Because I love you and your stupid face."

Thalia pulled the straw out of their mouth, a little taken aback. Reyna noticed their cheeks getting brighter in colour and their face split into a wide grin, though they still stumbled over their words as they tried to respond. "You— your face is... stupid."

Reyna let out a small laughed, moving closer to their side and planting a kiss on their cheek.

"I love you too, I guess," Thalia huffed, fumbling with their cup in one hand and playing with Reyna's fingers with the other.

"You guess?" Reyna raised an eyebrow, playfully offended.

Thalia found their arrogance back and they shot her their usual cocky grin, tongue poking against the back of their teeth. "Yeah, I guess. What are you gonna do about it?"

Reyna let out a small chuckle and closed the distance between them, pressing her lips hard against theirs. Thalia was slightly taken aback, but they instantly kissed her back, their smile spreading even wider.

Sitting this close to Thalia, Reyna could hear the music coming from their earphones. And she finally figured out why it sounded so familiar.

"Are you..." she started, speaking into their kiss. But letting out a small laugh in disbelief, she pulled back a little. "Are you listening to Taylor Swift?"

Thalia hesitated a little, their smile instantly dropping. "...No..."

"That's literally Cardigan. You're listening to Folklore," Reyna insisted, still hearing the faint but nevertheless clearly familiar chorus. The familiar tune they were humming before was The 1.

"Okay! Yeah! Sue me! I listen to Taylor Swift because her music helps me calm down and makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside!" Thalia exclaimed defensively, scowling really hard as they pulled away and sat back against the bench, arms crossed.

Reyna couldn't help but grin and laugh in amusement. "Babe, I'm not judging you. I'm actually impressed. You like normal music!"

That only seemed to make them scowl some more. "I always listen to normal music."

"No one listens to My Chemical Romance as much as you do. It's not normal."

Thalia opened their mouth to defend themselves but only ended up shutting it closed. "Okay... fair point. But my music taste's literally amazing."

"Now that I know you listen to Taylor, I'll agree," Reyna teased them.

Thalia rolled their eyes and shoved Reyna by the shoulder playfully. Reyna laughed some more, grinning toothily at them.

"Come here," she said, holding them by the chin with her thumb and index finger, and she pulled their face over to hers, catching their lips in a gentle kiss.

When they pulled away, Thalia kissed the corner of her mouth and leaned their head on her shoulder. They restarted the song and held the other earbud up, offering it to Reyna. She accepted it happily and slipped it into her ear just as the first few notes of Cardigan started playing again.

Thalia started singing along to the lyrics quietly and Reyna listened quietly, focusing more on their raspy murmur rather than Taylor Swift's soft voice instead. Personally, she preferred Thalia's voice but she might have been very biased.

They made their way back home once they had listened to all 63 minutes of the entire album. Thalia had a little strut back in their step, swinging their hands, still entwined, between them.

They changed into more comfortable and warm clothes once they were back home. They sat in the kitchen, cutting up the fresh vegetables and cooking the beans and the beef until they had an entire dinner of actually amazing tacos.

They sat in the living room, watching the first movie Netflix recommended — Lily Collins' new show, Emily in Paris, which according to Netflix was the most popular show, except they couldn't see why, exactly. The two of them spent the rest of the night binging the show and making fun of every last ridiculous detail from the over-exaggerated French stereotypes to every last cliché and ridiculous trope.

Reyna had completely forgotten about her assignments and work, mostly on purpose, and honestly, it might have been one of her favourite nights, sitting on the couch with Thalia's head in her lap and Aurum and Argentum sleeping in their beds right next to them. She ran her fingers through Thalia's hair absentmindedly as they watched the last episode of the show. It was almost midnight, but she wasn't all that tired. Thalia on the other hand had almost fallen asleep. Their eyes were closed and they were hugging Reyna's legs as they tucked their head into her lap. Reyna knew they were still awake because they occasionally laughed or groaned at whatever was going on in the show, but Reyna knew they were close to passing out and she didn't dare to move and bother them.

"I think I just lost my last working brain cell after watching that show," Thalia murmured, their voice a little slurred from being so sleepy.

Reyna laughed, twirling a strand of Thalia's hair around her finger. "God, that was bad. And yet, I couldn't stop watching."

"S'just cos Lily Collins gorgeous," Thalia said with a little laugh and honestly, Reyna had to agree. If it weren't for her face, and that attractive French guy, she probably wouldn't have made it past the first ten minutes of the show.

With a yawn and a stretch of her arms, Reyna turned off the television. Thalia sat up, wiping at their eyes sleepily.

They got up together and made their way to the bathroom where they brushed their teeth and got ready for bed. It was all quite domestic, standing in front of the bathroom mirror in their pyjamas, passing each other the tube of toothpaste, and brushing their teeth together. It made Reyna's heart swell. She wanted to do this every night.

Thalia held her hand as they walked down the hall to Reyna's room and slipped under the covers together. Thalia wrapped their arms around Reyna's waist, pulling her flush against their chest and nuzzling their face into the crook of her neck. Reyna smiled, finding their hand over her stomach and lacing their fingers together.

"Nighty night," Thalia murmured halfway through a yawn. They kissed the back of Reyna's neck softly, getting more comfortable, resting one of their legs over Reyna's.

"Buenas noches, mi cielo," she whispered back, pulling their hands up to her lips and kissing the back of Thalia's hand.

Reyna felt Thalia's breathing steadying against her skin as they slowly slipped into a deep slumber and it wasn't long before she joined them.

When she woke up, the room was still dark. Her alarm hadn't rung yet so she figured she was up _pretty_ early. The alarm was set for six in the morning so she could get her workout done. She could feel a light breeze in the room coming from the window. With a small yawn, she turned around to cuddle up to Thalia's side, except they weren't in bed.

Reyna frowned, slowly pulling herself up into a seated position. She found her phone on the bedside table and tapped on the screen. It lit up, bright and blinding. She squinted at the screen, reading the bold numbers. 5:13 a.m. 

"Did I wake you?"

Thalia's voice was barely above a whisper but it still started Reyna. She turned in the direction of the window and was a little surprised to find Thalia sitting by the windowsill, leaning their sketchpad against their lap and holding a pencil in their hand.

The moonlight was bright, a shadow crossing over their face and framing their sharp features, almost making them look celestial.

"No, uh, what are you doing?" She asked, her voice heavy with sleep and still a little disoriented.

"I couldn't sleep, so I'm just sketching..." they answered, scratching their neck with their pencil.

Reyna frowned, wiping the sleep from her eyes. "Everything okay?" She asked, her words a little muddled as she fought back a yawn.

She could see a faint smile on Thalia's face in the moonlight as they nodded reassuringly. "Yeah, baby. I'm just... overthinking. But it's okay, you can go back to sleep."

Reyna shook her head, sitting up straighter and leaning back against the bed frame. She could have an extra thirty minutes of sleep or... "No, I have to be up in a little, anyway. Come here..." She patted the empty spot next to her that Thalia had occupied earlier and then opened her arms wide.

Thalia instantly jumped down from the window's ledge and shuffled over to the bed, tossing the sketchpad and pencil at the foot of the bed before slipping in next to Reyna and curling up into her side.

Reyna closed her arms around them, running her fingers up and down their back comfortingly. "What's up?" she murmured into their hair and pressed a small kiss on their temple.

"Just having another identity crisis, you know, the usual," they chuckled, brushing off the topic like it was just as insignificant as trying to choose what they wanted to have for breakfast that morning.

Reyna found it odd how easily they could pretend it wasn't so important or like they didn't care.

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

"No, I'm okay," Thalia whispered and leaned up to kiss her jaw softly. Their hand snaked around her waist and settling right under her shirt on the small of her back. "Drawing you helped a lot. It's like therapy, but better. Mostly cos it's free."

Reyna was a little at a loss for words, mostly because Thalia was sketching her in her sleep. "Idiot," she laughed, flicking their nose playfully. "You were drawing me?"

"I'm always drawing you," Thalia answered in a casual tone.

Reyna was seriously taken aback by this revelation. She sat up, getting a better look at Thalia's face. "So... you have a collection of sketches... of me?"

"Yeah, I've told you before, you're my favourite muse!" Thalia told her, and she noticed the subtle hint of their flirty voice slipping in between their words.

Reyna hummed in acknowledgment and then playfully narrowed her eyes at Thalia in a false glare. "I should be your only muse."

Thalia shot her a cheeky grin, their hand trailing a little lower on her back. "There's some strong competition between you and the dogs, if I'm being completely honest. They're surprisingly crazy photogenic!"

Reyna let out a chuckle in disbelief, taking some offence to the fact that she was just compared to her own dogs. "Hey— excuse me, I'm competing with two greyhounds?"

"Two awesome greyhounds," Thalia replied, poking her nose with their other hand.

"Well... I can't disagree," Reyna sighed heavily in defeat as Thalia laughed wholeheartedly.

Thalia placed their hands on Reyna's hips and flipped them around until they were pinning her down against her mattress.

"I'm only teasing you, you know," they whispered, their lips only inches away from Reyna's.

"Are you?"

"Mhm," they nodded, running their tongue over their lips to soften them. "You are, and always have been, my only muse, ever."

Reyna felt her breath hitch in her throat. She reached up, cupping their face in her hands. Thalia smirked, knowing exactly the effect they had on her, the little shit, and they leaned all the way down, brushing their lips against hers ever so gently.

Reyna's eyes fluttered shut as she moved her lips with theirs, slow and gentle and loving. And god, she adored them, so much. Her heart still raced every single time they kissed her this tenderly, every soft and affectionate touch of their rough and calloused fingertips against her own smooth skin.

They kissed until neither one of them could hold their breath any longer, but even when they pulled apart, they didn't pull away from each other, and they were kissing again, deeper and sensually, and they held each other. And Reyna craved Thalia's touch, and as if they could read her mind, they trailed their fingers all over her body, every single patch of skin they could reach from the inside of her wrists to the back of her knees.

They were rid of their clothes and embracing each other close under the blankets and Thalia's lips were everywhere, soft and hot and making Reyna's chest feel unbelievably warm. She loved them when they kissed the corner of her mouth and moved to that spot just under her ear. She loved them when they sucked at the skin of her breasts, leaving a very angry purple love bite in their wake. She loved them when their hands dragged down her abdomen so lightly and held her thighs down. When they pressed down against her, hips rocking into hips, when they held her close and whispered her name in her ear, when they made her legs tremble and forget all the words she knew in all five languages she spoke. And she loved them when they caught her lips in a breathtaking kiss, swallowing her every whimper and moan.

She loved them, and she wanted to show them. She worshipped their body, the way they worshipped hers. Every single piece of art on their skin, from their freckles to their ink. Every old childhood scar they shared with each other, and some others. Reyna had memorised every last curve and dip in their body like a map and she loved them all. She worshipped them until they breathing her name in soft, broken whines.

They kissed until the sun had come up, streaming in through the shades, dull and cool in this end-of-fall weather. Reyna turned off her alarm before it could even go off. She didn't have to work out so early in the morning, not when she could spend it cuddling with Thalia, naked limbs sticky with sweat and tangled up together. And besides, it was already starting to drizzle, small droplets of water hitting the glass window in soft thuds.

"Didn't you say you had to be up soon?" Thalia murmured into her hair and Reyna could feel their lazy smile.

Her eyes were closed and she really couldn't be bothered to open them and face the wrath of the early morning sunlight. She could already feel Thalia's quiet and steady breathing lulling her back to sleep and she didn't really have to be up before ten anyway.

"I can go for a run in the afternoon," she replied, her words just a tiny bit incoherent.

"Still don't understand how you can work-out before the crack of dawn," Thalia chuckled.

Reyna smiled, shrugging her shoulders, and snuggling deeper under the blankets. She let herself fall back into a pleasant, dreamless nap, with Thalia's arms protectively wrapped around her.

Reyna was getting used to waking up and not finding Thalia in bed. They had two moods, usually: Either spend the entire day in bed or be up super early because they barely got any sleep or couldn't sleep at all. Thalia had learned not to run off too far, like the roof where they usually snuck off to for a smoke; usually, they would be in their room, playing an instrument or completing a painting with Aurum and Argentum and a cup of coffee keeping them company or standing outside on the fire escape, smoking a cigarette. She remembered pushing them away so often that she'd end up waking up alone, and it was ironic how she always found herself disappointed whenever she did wake alone now.

She was never one for slow and lazy mornings, but with Thalia, she'd learned to embrace them. So much so, that whenever she found them awake before she was, she'd pad over to them, the entire duvet wrapped around her, and engulf them in its warmth before dragging them back toward the bed. Thalia never really put up much of a fight anyway. They liked morning cuddles just as much as she did, if not more.

When Reyna woke up for the second time that morning, Thalia once again wasn't in bed, and Reyna pouted in disappointment. She rolled over in bed as a yawn took over her, blinking the sleep out of her eyes. That was when she found Thalia, sitting on her swivel chair, haunched over her desk. They were dressed in just a t-shirt over their boxer shorts, their hair falling messily over their face as they focused on their sketchpad. They had one foot up on the chair and Reyna could see hints of charcoal staining their hands, arms, and some spots on their leg.

As she sat up in bed, stretching her arms, Thalia swivelled around, giving her a small smile. "Morning, baby. _Again."_

Reyna didn't smile back. Instead, she gave Thalia her best pout. "Come back to bed!" She mumbled in a scratchy voice from sleep, her throat feeling dry.

Thalia was still facing her but they had the sketchpad leaning against their knee now, shoulders hunched forward even more as they kept drawing with the small, sharpened piece of charcoal.

"I wanna finish this sketch first. And besides, you've got a 10 a.m. lecture, don't you?" Thalia replied, their eyes still focused on their work. "It's nine-thirty, I think."

Reyna frowned, grabbing her phone from the nightstand to check the time. 09:24 a.m.

"There's plenty of time," Reyna grumbled, tossing her phone in the empty spot next to her and hugging the pillow close to her chest as she watched Thalia sit up straight, their hand stilling and raising a surprised eyebrow in her direction.

"Since when?" They let out a chuckle in disbelief.

"Since I wanna cuddle with my partner!" Reyna retorted, rolling her eyes at Thalia, who grinned widely at her.

"Okay. I'll be there as soon as I'm done with this," they promised and turned back around to set the sketchpad on the table and leaned over it, their hand moving a little faster.

Reyna figured Thalia wouldn't be done any time soon, even if they did promise. So with a small stretch and yawn, she got up from bed, wrapped the extra blanket around her bare shoulders, and walked over toward Thalia, standing over them to see what they were drawing.

She was surprised to see an almost entirely nude body except for a thin layer of a blanket thrown over the pair of legs. The face was still featureless but it didn't take a genius to figure out that Thalia had drawn Reyna in her sleep... again. And this time, with a twist, where she was incredibly underdressed.

Reyna wrapped an arm around Thalia's chest, leaning her chin on their shoulder, peering over it. "You got my right boob wrong," she pointed out with a little smirk.

Thalia stopped tracing over the hair and turned to glance sideways at Reyna. "Did I?"

"Yeah. It's a bit less pointy. More... round."

Thalia chuckled, settling the piece of charcoal down on the desk. They turned around in the chair, grinning up at Reyna, their blue eyes as bright as the morning sky. "I'm not one to make excuses, but, well... it's because I couldn't get a proper look from over here." Thalia's hands settled on Reyna's waist over the white blanket, completely ignoring the fact that their hands were all smeared with charcoal. The blanket was now stained black, but Reyna didn't seem to care. It was a new feeling to her, not caring about getting her linens dirty like that, and she was kind of liking it.

Thalia dropped their leg back down and spread their thighs to give Reyna enough space to stand between them. Thalia tilted their neck back to meet Reyna's gaze as Reyna's hands settled on their shoulders.

"You can get a better look now," Reyna murmured, her face inching closer to Thalia's.

"Hmm," Thalia furrowed their eyebrows as their hands trailed up to where the blanket was hanging around Reyna's shoulders, keeping her chest hidden, and they grabbed each of the two blanket-ends in one hand. Slowly, they pushed them open like curtains, revealing Reyna's breasts. Thalia's eyebrows remained knitted, and their lips turned into a frown as they inspected Reyna's breasts. "I think you're right," they concluded, their fingers tracing over the curve of Reyna's right breast, leaving a trail of faint black carbon behind.

Reyna cupped Thalia's cheeks in her hands and leaned down, kissing them deeply. Thalia hummed approvingly, wrapping their arms around Reyna's frame and pulling her down onto their lap.

"You're getting charcoal stains all over me," Reyna mumbled against Thalia's lips, though, she wasn't really complaining. "I'm gonna have to shower now."

"Yeah," Thalia breathed out, attaching their lips to Reyna's neck.

Reyna swallowed back a moan, tilting her head back to give Thalia more access. "And you're going to join me."

She felt Thalia's lips turn into a smirk against the skin of her neck. And before she knew it, Thalia was up on their feet, carrying Reyna with them. They walked them safely all the way down the hall and to the bathroom all while kissing Reyna's neck hungrily.

Reyna didn't know where the blanket was left, or when Thalia had taken off their shirt, but she soon found herself pressed up against the cold wall in the shower. Thalia rid them both of their underwear and then reached for the tap. Unfortunately, they were too busy focusing on that one delicious spot right under Reyna's ear, and before they knew it, they were both being splashed with a rush of icy cold water.

Reyna pushed herself off the wall instantly, moving as far away from the running water as possible, leaving Thalia awkwardly fumbling with the tap, still under the freezing shower, trying to fix the water temperature.

"Shit, I'm so sorry," Thalia rushed, looking a little sheepish as they pushed the tap to the HOT side.

Reyna let out a small laugh, wrapping her arms around herself to make sure she didn't catch hypothermia. The air temperature in the shower was already warming up anyway.

"That's okay, I know I can be quite distracting," Reyna joked and Thalia rolled their eyes, sliding over to her side and pushing her against the wall once again.

As they stared down at Reyna, Thalia's eyes gleamed brightly, giving her their signature grin. "Yeah," they agreed. "That's true."

Before Reyna could even take in a breath, Thalia kissed her deeply, their hands finding Reyna's wrists and pinning them up against the wall.

The air in the bathroom was incredibly steamy, and it wasn't because of the hot water pouring down from the showerhead. And of course, Reyna found herself almost late to her first class of the day; the one class she had that wasn't remote. In fact, she had run into the class right behind the professor, and she hated Thalia for being so damn good with their hands, and man, that tongue... and of course, she hated herself even more for being so vulnerable when it came to Thalia. Por Dios, they were bringing out the worst in her in such good ways.

Thalia also had amazing timing, of course. As soon as Reyna had claimed her seat, flustered from running across campus to get to class on time, her phone had buzzed and she went to check it in spite of the professor's strict "no cellphones" rule.

Reyna pulled her phone to her lap, making sure it was silenced before checking Thalia's message.

 _Mi Cielo_ : _i'm still thinking about you  
Mi Cielo: pinned against that wall   
Mi Cielo: all flushed and wet   
Mi Cielo: screaming my name  
Mi Cielo: i like it when u scream my name_

Her phone kept receiving messages. Reyna cleared her throat, feeling her cheeks heating up in a blush, even though no one else was reading the very inappropriate messages Thalia was sending. Reyna flipped her phone screen to face the desk. She then crossed her legs, gripped her pencil tight, and looked up just in time as the old professor started handing out some worksheets, her heart hammering hard in her chest.

All she could think about for the next hour though were the words _fuck you, Thalia Grace_ followed by _fuck me, Thalia Grace._

It was the longest hour of her life, possibly. Reyna finally looked at her phone as she rushed down the hallway and out into the fresh, cold air. Thalia had spammed her with over thirty messages. Jesus...

As Reyna went through them, she realised that many of them were selfies. A selfie of Thalia getting dressed. And then another one on the back of their motorcycle, which was totally unsafe in this rainy weather. Then another one of them at the bakery, pouting in front of the coffee machine. And another one with a grinning Percy.

Reyna couldn't help but smile. She saved them all to her photo library and typed a quick response.

 _Reyrey_ 🥺💜: _You're lucky you're so cute or I would have had to kill you for spamming me with highly inappropriate texts so much while I was in the middle of class._

_Thalia's response was almost instant._

_Mi Cielo: shit ur using perfect grammar n punctuation on me_   
_Mi Cielo: this is serious then_   
_Mi Cielo: please forgive me, milady!_

Reyna smiled, rolling her eyes as she typed back her response, making sure not to run into another person as she made her way to the library to get some work done before her next class.

 _Reyrey_ 🥺💜 _: Buy me dinner and I might consider it_

_Mi Cielo: how could i even refuse!!!!_   
_Mi Cielo: ill be home by eight with take out! (I promised Annabeth I'd help her with a project)_   
_Mi Cielo: now go be a nerd_

Reyna grinned widely and put her phone back in her pocket while she made her way to the campus coffee shop. She hadn't had time to have breakfast thanks to the shower sex that lasted more than she had accounted for. Not that she was complaining. But she could really go for a bagel right now, and definitely some coffee.

Thalia kept texting her while she was at the library and Reyna occasionally took a minute or two to respond between each academic paper she went through. Her next class wasn't until two and when she did finally join the lecture, still in the library with earphones on, she made sure to silence her phone and keep it in her backpack so she could actually focus on her International Politics course which she was pretty behind on.

The class was pretty long and tiring but Reyna got through it alive. Though, she still packed up pretty fast and rushed outside for a breath of fresh air. She finally pulled her phone out and as if on cue, Hylla's name popped up on her screen and she answered instantly. Her sister was bored and happened to be in Manhattan. They decided to meet up for lunch so Reyna rode the train to the destination which wasn't all that far but she wasn't all that keen on walking in the rain.

Hylla was her annoying older sister self, as usual. She cracked a lot of jokes at Reyna's expense, she asked a lot of questions about Thalia and how their relationship was going, (really well, Reyna reassured her), and of course, insisted on paying the entire bill. Reyna hated it, but she did end up saving about thirty dollars. Naturally, the conversation gravitated toward Hylla's career and how her job was going.

"Hey, by the way, remember that dress you showed me? The purple one."

Reyna obviously couldn't forget when it was still sitting right there in her closet. Pictures of her wearing it were all over her apartment. Thalia insisted on keeping them up.

"Yeah... what about it?"

"It was Thalia's friend who made it, right?" Hylla continued, confusing Reyna even more. She had no idea where her sister was going with this.

"Yeah, Annabeth... why?" She asked her, a little hesitant and skeptical.

"Do you think she could help us with one of our projects? We're trying this new line of clothing and we could really use someone with her vision. I mean, that dress was seriously haute-couture," she explained, and Reyna let out a small breath in relief. It wasn't all that bad. She wasn't sure how exactly it could have been bad, but with Hylla, one could never be too sure.

"I could ask her, hold on."

Reyna fumbled through her backpack to retrieve her phone which had fallen all the way to the bottom. Hylla was peering over her shoulder as she turned on the screen. Reyna was surprised to see a lot of notifications pop up.

She started from the bottom, seeing a few texts from her group chat with Nico, Hazel, and Frank, some messages from this guy she had a project with in one of her classes, a lot of emails which wasn't unusual, but most surprising of all, messages from nonother than Annabeth. Speak of the devil...

She noticed one message from an unknown number as well along with a missed call. She frowned as she opened the text message.

_[Unknown Number]: hey i rly hope i have the right number but anyway this is jason. jason grace, u know thalia's brother. can u call me back pls?_

Okay... that was odd.

She noticed another few missed calls from Annabeth as well.

_Annabeth Chase: CALL ME BACK ASAP_

"Everything okay?" Hylla asked and Reyna glanced up at her, still beyond confused.

"I don't know..." she answered honestly, pressing on the little phone at the top, next to Annabeth's contact name. The phone started to ring and dread filled Reyna's chest.

" _Thank fuck. Why the fuck weren't you answering?"_

Reyna was a little taken aback by Annabeth's tone. She sounded angry. No, furious. But not at Reyna. Something else was bothering her and it sounded really serious.

"I, uh," she shared a look with her sister, having no idea what to make of Annabeth's tone and this weird situation. "My phone was on silent, and I'm having lunch with my sister, so—"

" _Okay, don't freak out_ ," Annabeth cut her off impatiently, clearly not giving two fucks about why Reyna wasn't actually answering the phone earlier anymore. " _But your idiot had an accident."_

"I— _what?"_

_"Thalia crashed their bike and they're currently in the ER—"_

_"_ THALIA FUCKING WHAT?"


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uhm... yes, idk how i wrote 8k words in one night but... enjoy :) sorry about yesterday's cliffhanger!

Reyna felt like the ground beneath her feet was spinning. Thalia was in the ER... because they crashed their bike...

She could practically feel the blood draining from her face and her grip on her phone loosened, almost causing her to drop it, but she tightened her fingers around and clenched her jaw in an attempt to stay calm.

Hylla was looking at her with concern. She rested her hand over Reyna's arm silently asking her what the matter was, but Reyna was too focused on Annabeth's voice coming through the phone.

" _Yeah, because they're a fucking IDIOT—"_

_"Is that Reyna? Are you talking to Reyna right now?"_

It was Thalia's voice, and they _sounded_ fine, but Reyna knew how they played everything off as if it were nothing. She couldn't trust that they were fine just by heading their voice. Still, she felt her stomach churn.

" _Annabeth, give me the phone— Annie, give me the goddamn pho—"_

_"No, shut up. You lost your phone privileges, you absolute—"_

_"What're you, my mom?"_

_"—inconsiderate idiot—"_

_"Give me the phone, Chase, or I swear to god—"_

_"What're you gonna do? You can't get out of that bed,_ **_idiot."_ **

" _Stop calling me an idiot. I swear to all fuck, I'm going to—"_

 _"WOAH, OKAY, Thalia—"_ it was Jason's voice, Thalia's younger brother. "Don't move—"

" _Let me fucking talk to my girlfri— OW..."_

Reynafelt her heart drop all the way down to her stomach. "What happened?" She asked worriedly. Her mouth felt dry as if someone had just stuffed it with as many cotton balls as possible.

" _SHIT— shit, shit, shit, I'm so sorry— are you okay? Shit, here, you can have the phone!"_

She could hear heavy breathing on the other end of the line, a small squeal, more heavy breathing and shuffling around, Annabeth apologising profusely, and then, after what seemed like forever, she finally heard Thalia's voice.

" _Rey? You there?"_

Reyna didn't know she was holding in her breath until she heard Thalia's voice and it all came rushing out of her lungs.

"Yeah," she breathed out. "Thal, what's going on?"

Thalia was quiet for a few seconds and Reyna knew they were trying to come up with some sort of reasonable excuse for whatever it is that they were about to tell her. Reyna braced herself for the absolute worst.

"Okay, okay... well, I know this probably seems bad, and you're probably worried, but I promise you, everything's okay!"

" _Everything's not okay, you irresponsible fucking—"_

 _"Annabeth shut the fuck up. Please!"_ Thalia's voice was desperate and pleading and Reyna had a feeling Annabeth had been yelling at them for a while now.

"Thalia, you're really scaring me right now..." Reyna murmured into the phone, sharing a worried look with Hylla.

" _I promise, I'm okay! Just— okay, well, I'm an idiot—"_

" _Damn right, you are_!"

 _"Jesus Christ, okay! Thank you, Annabeth. Anyway, look Rey, it wasn't even my fault! That light pole came out of nowhere!_ " Thalia exclaimed, only confusing Reyna even more.

"Light pole? What are you talking about?"

"I drove into a— well, a pole... I— it was a tiny accident..." Thalia trailed off, their voice quieting down at the end. Reyna's head was starting to hurt and she felt nauseated. She felt like she was about to puke up all her lunch.

" _Tiny? You fucking wrecked that street light! And your bike!_ " Jason yelled angrily this time.

"YOU'RE NOT HELPING!" Thalia yelled back.

Reyna covered her face with her hand, rubbing her temple with her fingers. "You— you crashed your bike... and you're— you're in the ER right now?"

"They _what_?" Hylla asked, her eyes widening considerably. "They okay?"

" _It's not like that_!" Thalia rushed out their words. " _I'm okay, I promise! Just like— a few broken bones. Probably a concussion. But you don't have to worry! I'll be home before our date and I'm still getting you that burger from that one diner you love, okay?"_

"Okay?" Reyna felt all her worry turn into worried rage. "Thalia, are you fucking crazy?"

" _Crazy about you_...?" Reyna could imagine them pulling that stupid, stupid, grin of theirs she loved so much.

"Shut up. Where are you?" Reyna demanded.

"Are they okay?" Hylla whispered, a frown settling on her face. She seemed a lot more anxious than Reyna would have thought, considering she didn't exactly like Thalia all that much.

" _I'm at the hospital, but it's okay! You don't have to come, babe. Annabeth and Jason will take care of me!_ "

" _I'm not helping you out of those dirty clothes," Annabeth grumbled._

"I'm on my way," Reyna decided, turning to look at Hylla to ask for her keys. She didn't have any time to waste.

" _No— no, Rey, it's okay! I promise, baby. I'm okay. You don't have to come!_ " Thalia tried to reassure her, but with the way Reyna's heart was constricting, she knew she wouldn't be able to take in a deep breath until she saw that Thalia was okay with her own two eyes.

" _Cállate_! Just send me the hospital's name. Hylla and I are on our way."

" _Hylla's coming with you... she's not going to break like my neck or something, is she?"_

Reyna was pretty sure it was the stress and worry in her that made her laugh. It was odd, but for some reason, she found their words funny.

"Depends on how idiotic you are," she responded. Thalia tried to breathe out a chuckle but it ended in them taking a sharp breath. Reyna grimaced, feeling her own chest hurt at the thought of Thalia in pain.   
"I'm on my way. Just text me which hospital you're in, yeah?"

Before Thalia could protest, Reyna hung up the phone and turned to face Hylla. "They had a bike accident, they're saying they're okay but—"

"Alright, c'mon. I'll drive you there," Hylla instantly offered, already pulling the car keys from her purse, surprising Reyna just a little but she was grateful. "Do you have the address?"

"Yeah, I told them to text me the name." Reyna was grateful that Thalia wasn't a complete idiot with a death wish and had actually listened and sent her the address just a few moments later. "Got it."

It was a silent drive, Reyna too anxious and scared to talk, and Hylla probably feeling too awkward and empathetic to say anything. It wasn't too long a drive and they found themselves running through the hospital doors just ten minutes later.

Reyna ran up to the nurse's station in the emergency room with Hylla right at her tail.

"Thalia Grace, please. They came in a little while ago, they were in a—"

"Took you guys long enough!"

Reyna turned around to find Percy walking over toward them, a huge grin on his face. How he could be smiling right now, Reyna had no idea

"Never mind, thank you," she rushed out to the nurse before hurrying over to Percy's side. "Where are they?"

"Behind that curtain over there. Beware Annabeth's rage! I'm gonna get a snack. Anyone want anything?"

Reyna just pushed past him and ran in the direction of the curtain he had pointed to. Hylla followed her, walking at a pace that was just a little bit slower.

Reyna pulled the curtain open and her eyes instantly fell on Thalia, lying down on a hospital bed and looking like a real mess, and not the typical, sexy, Thalia Grace mess.

Thalia looked up instantly, a small, sheepish grin adorning their face as they met Reyna's wide eyes and worried frown.

The first thing Reyna noticed was Thalia's unbelievably mussed up hair. She never thought Thalia's hair could ever get more disheveled, but apparently, she was wrong. Thalia was wearing their work t-shirt and Reyna noticed a small gash on their right shoulder, the blood dried up and the surrounding area already starting to bruise. Their hands were all scraped, which was surprising considering Reyna had never seen Thalia get on that stupid motorcycle without their gloves.

But what scared Reyna the most was the temporary, makeshift splint holding Thalia's leg in place.

"Heeeeeeey," Thalia started in a soft, innocent voice and Reyna noticed Annabeth roll her eyes from her seat in the corner.

"Geez, you look horrible!" Hylla exclaimed from over Reyna's shoulder, letting out a small whistle

"Aw, thank you! That's so nice of you to say!" Thalia snapped back sarcastically.

"What the hell happened?" Reyna demanded.

She took a hesitant step forward and then another until she was standing at the foot of the bed, right next to the leg brace.

Thalia looked even more embarrassed, using their nail to scratch the side of their nose.

"You wanna tell them or should I?" Jason muttered from the other chair next to Annabeth's, looking just as tired and pissed off.

Thalia glanced at Reyna for a second before turning their attention to their leg brace. "My boss wanted me to pick something up for her from this one guy or whatever, so I got my bike, started driving down the street, and then this fricken lamppost came out of nowhere! And the next thing I knew I was on the ground."

Jason let out a scoff, folding his arms  
over his chest.   
"That lamppost didn't come out nowhere, you idiot. If you weren't too busy texting—"

"You were texting?" Reyna cut Jason off, her tone coming out harsher than intended, but she couldn't help it. She was suddenly so infuriated. How could Thalia be so reckless?

Thalia winced at Reyna's words. "Well— in my defence—"

"In your defence? Thalia, you could've hurt innocent people, or-or worse, you could've gotten yourself run over or k—" Reyna let out a heavy breath, closing her eyes for a second to try and compose herself.

"Who's so important that you couldn't wait to text them?" Jason asked and Annabeth snorted, as though she knew something they didn't that was just too hilarious.

Thalia's gaze moved to their hands in their lap, and Reyna was pretty sure they looked a little shy. "Reyna..."

"Are you kidding me?" Reyna cried out in disbelief. The next few words that came out of her were kind of a blur.

***

See, Thalia always knew they were an idiot. Well, not an idiot really... just prone to do idiotic things. It kind of ran in the family. But with the way Reyna had started rambling in Spanish, they knew that yes, they really were a completely irresponsible idiot. All they were trying to do was ask Reyna if she wanted to grab burgers for dinner. Thinking back to it, that might not have been the best time to ask her, and they were feeling worse about their decision by the second with every painful throb of their broken ankle.

Reyna pacing around the room while yelling in Spanish was not helping.

"¿Cómo puedes ser tan estúpida? Tan increíblemente imprudente y irresponsable!" _How could you be so stupid? So incredibly reckless and irresponsible._

"Hey, Reyna—" Thalia tried to cut her off but she was on a roll. Annabeth was trying to hold in her laughter while Jason stared with a little bit of fear in his eyes. Thalia was a little bit scared themself. They looked up to see Reyna's sister a little surprised and impressed. Whatever she was saying must have been _horrible._

"¿No pensaste en lo peligrosa que era? Claro que no. Porque eres invencible, no? ¡ The incredible, Thalia Grace! Dios mio...Idiota!"  
 _Didn't you think about how dangerous this was? Obviously not. Because you're invincible, right? The incredible, Thalia Grace! My god... Idiot!_

"I don't— I don't actually know what- what you're saying, uhm..." Thalia murmured, really quiet.

Reyna was pacing around the small pace in front of the hospital bed, throwing her arms in the air in frustration and Thalia winced at her tone. They could understand a few of those words, mostly the "idiota" part. Even Jason flinched back a little. Annabeth on the other hand was nodding encouragingly, clearly agreeing with everything Reyna was saying, even if she didn't understand her words. Her message was pretty clear. Even Hylla looked like she was having a field day. Thalia knew she didn't exactly warm up to them yet.

The curtain was pushed aside and the doctor had walked inside with a nurse but they both stopped dead in their track as they saw Reyna who didn't seem to have noticed the presence of newcomers yet. She kept rambling and scolding Thalia in her native language.

"¿Te das cuenta cuánto peor esto podría haber sido? Podrías haber terminando muerto o matado a alguien o— ¡ Dios ! Esta es la cosa más egoísta que has hecho!" _Do you realise how much worse this could have been? You could have ended up dead or killed someone or— God! This is the most selfish thing you've ever done!_

Reyna had finally stopped ranting. She pinched the bridge of her nose as she let out a heavy breath. Thalia watched wide-eyed as the doctor took a hesitant step forward.

Thalia wasn't sure when Percy had joined them, but he was standing next to the young nurse, a wide grin on his face

"And I thought Annie was scary when she was angry," Percy laughed, watching in amusement as Thalia looked at their girlfriend, kind of starting to fear for their life. They were pretty sure Reyna wanted to murder them.

Reyna turned around to face Percy as she snapped in response. "I'm not angry! I'm—" She finally noticed the doctor and the nurse behind her. Her eyes widened in horror and she cleared her throat, moving to stand next to Hylla.

"Well!" The doctor started in a much too enthusiastic tone. "Uh... are they all family? It's just that it's too crowded in here."

Annabeth stood up with a relieved look on her face. As worried as she really was about Thalia, deep, deep, inside, she was probably glad to get to be as far away from their dumb ass as possible.

"We'll wait outside. C'mon, Seaweed Brain." Annabeth walked over to Percy and grabbed him by the arm to drag him outside.

"But— I wanna see her gruesome foot!" Percy complained as he was pulled behind the curtains and into the hall.

Hylla rolled her eyes, flipping her car keys between her fingers as she turned around to leave. "I'm gonna go. Do you need anything?"

Reyna shook her head no. "I'll text you later."

Hylla nodded and left without another word but not before shooting Thalia an odd look. They weren't exactly sure what it means yet. It seemed almost... empathetic. Like she actually cared that they got out of this accident almost unscathed.

Doctor Yew looked between Reyna and Jason, probably still finding the room crowded, but with the determined look on Thalia's face, he knew they wouldn't let the two of them leave. With a small sigh, he pulled out Thalia's file, going over his notes.

"Well, miss Grace—"

"They're not a _miss_ ," Reyna grumbled through gritted teeth. She was obviously still beyond pissed at Thalia, but the fact that she still got annoyed whenever they were misgendered kinda warmed their heart. They almost didn't care about the fact that the doctor had mistaken them for a woman.

"Oh, my apologies. I should have asked. What do you prefer to be referred to?" The doctor asked, the first medical professional in here to actually care. Thalia felt like they could relax a little.

"Just Thalia's fine."

"Alright, Thalia, It's a good thing you were wearing that helmet and that leather jacket which cushioned your fall, or your injuries would have been much worse. Your ankle is definitely broken. There's a fracture on both your tibia and fibula, but miraculously, the bone isn't too out of place. I should be able to reset it here, no surgery needed."

"That's great! See? I told you, I'm fine!" Thalia turned to send Reyna a grin, but they regretted it instantly when a sharp pain jabbed them in the ribs. They swallowed back their voice, biting down hard on their lower lip to avoid making any embarrassing noises as they felt like they were going to be sick and blackout right after.

Reyna ignored them, sending them a glare before turning back to the doctor to hear what else he had to say.

"My sibling has more injuries, don't they?" Jason turned to ask the doctor who nodded solemnly.

"Yes, Thalia has a mild concussion, which shouldn't be a problem as long as we're careful. The gash on your arm doesn't need stitches thankfully, just be sure to keep it clean to avoid infections. We'll dress the wound properly right now. And your ribs are bruised. Those will heal by themselves but you'll have to take a lot of precautions," the doctor explained and Thalia smiled crookedly.

"Sounds like me. CEO of taking precautions!"

"Lying's a sin, Grace." Reyna snapped and Thalia just looked at her completely baffled. When had she lost her sense of humour?

"Right! So, I guess we'll just set your ankle now, put it in a walking boot, and you'll be good to go!" Doctor Yew exclaimed with a grin that looked way too excited for what he was about to do for Thalia's comfort.

He settled down on a stool with wheels right in front of Thalia and placed his hands on the splint, removing the bandages slowly. "I'm sorry but we can't give you more pain meds so, this is going to be painful..." Doctor Yew looked at them apologetically, handing the nurse the bandages and the two pieces of cardboard next.

Thalia wasn't new to broken bones and the pain that came with resetting them. Somehow, they had once damaged the same ankle much worse by tripping on thin air and grabbing onto the nearest item, which happened to be one of the heavier statues Hera valued so much when they were sixteen. It had toppled over them and almost crushed them. It wasn't their finest moment. They could deal with the pain. Yet somehow, they found themselves dreading the feeling as the doctor's cool fingers settled around their swollen ankle.

They unconsciously held their hand out, and Reyna seemed to have read their mind. As upset as she was, she still laced her fingers through Thalia's, giving their hand a reassuring squeeze.

"This can't be worse than that time your bone poked out," Jason said in a joking tone, trying to lighten the mood, but for some reason, it only made their anxiety grow, along with the feeling of having to throw up.

Reyna turned to look at Thalia's face, and Thalia noticed the panic and worry in her eyes, behind all that rage.

"Kath, could you hold the leg in place, please?"

The nurse walked over to Thalia's side and gently lifted their leg up in the air, though her grip was firm around their knee and right above the bruising on the ankle. Thalia felt the entire weight of their foot trying to pull their leg back down like it was trying to detach itself from their limb. Their grip on Reyna's hand tightened as the pain started to travel up their leg.

Reyna placed her other hand on Thalia's cheek, making them turn around to meet her piercing black eyes. Her eyes were honestly distracting enough, but Reyna still tried to keep their mind occupied while the doctor's fingers wrapped around the sole of their foot.

"Hey, so, where were you going to get the takeout from tonight?" Reyna asked them, smiling softly. Thalia was glad she wasn't all that mad at them and their recklessness anymore.

"Probably McDonald's. Their chicken nuggets are great, right?" Thalia replied, managing a cheeky grin despite the throbbing they felt in their foot as doctor Yew's grip tightened. Any second now...

"You were going to get McDonald's without me?" Jason butted in with a pout on his face.

"Yes. You're not invited to our dates," Thalia rolled their eyes at him but Jason was still hurt.

"Ouch!"

Reyna chuckled, turning her attention back to Thalia. "I didn't think you'd be so cheap, to be honest."

"I know you. You would much rather eat a two dollar burger over a barely edible plate of spaghetti for thirty—" Thalia let out a loud yelp as blinding pain erupted in their leg. They wanted to scream, but no sound came out. Their grip on Reyna's hand tightened much more than they would have ever intended, but Reyna never pulled away. Instead, she drew gentle circles with her thumb on the back of Thalia's hand to soothe them, her free hand brushing Thalia's messy hair off their face tenderly.

Thalia was seeing stars and they felt like their lungs were going to collapse.

"Oh, I heard that. I heard that. Jeez..." Jason grimaced, running his fingers nervously through his hair as he squirmed in place.

Thalia would have slapped him if they could move. He couldn't begin to imagine the stabbing pain in their leg.

As they took deep breaths in, their vision slowly cleared and the pain in their leg started to subside back to a dull throb.

"There we go!" Doctor Yew clasped his hands in excitement. "Perfectly in place!"

"Mhm!" Thalia mumbled in a high-pitched voice. It was all they could bring themselves to say.

The young nurse was now holding up a grey walking boot, loosening the straps as she walked over to the doctor.

The rest wasn't so bad. Their foot was bandaged up tight enough and slipped into the boot. It was still painful, but they could manage it. Kath the nurse cleaned up the wound on their shoulder and bandaged it up quickly. Then, they were given strict instruction to rest and do absolutely nothing remotely productive for six weeks. They wanted to scream.

Thalia was handed a pair of crutches and a prescription for pain killers and after having Jason handle all the paperwork, they were finally allowed to leave after agonising hours of waiting around, listening to Percy laughing and mocking them, Annabeth still giving them the nasty side-eye, and having Reyna yell at every hospital staff that used the wrong pronouns when referring to Thalia.

Reyna and Annabeth helped them outside while Percy went to get his step-dad Paul's car around. Reyna was eerily quiet after her outburst, but she never let go of Thalia. She held her hand when they were sitting down, and kept her hand on the small of Thalia's back protectively as they hopped along on the crutches. But Thalia could still feel the tension in her shoulders.

"You sure you're gonna be okay?" Jason asked right before they were going to part ways. He had to get back home since it was getting too late and he had finals to study for.

Thalia nodded with a small, grateful smile. Jason was a pain in the ass but he was also the best baby brother they could have ever asked for.

"Yeah, Rey's gonna take care of me. Right, babe?" Thalia turned to grin at Reyna who only rolled her eyes in return, but Thalia could see her fighting back a smile.

"Nah, you don't need me. The incredible Thalia! You can text and drive a motorcycle. You can totally do everything else by yourself!"

Annabeth burst out laughing at Reyna's passive-aggressiveness while Jason cracked a grin. Thalia wasn't so amused, though. Their guilt grew tenfold by the second. Of course, Reyna had every right to be so mad at them.

Thankfully, Percy had pulled up in front of them before anyone could say anything else. He stepped out and ran to Thalia's side, grabbing them by the waist to help them hop all the way to the car. Thalia slid into the backseat, propping their broken foot up on the other end of the bench.

"Try not to kill yourself!" Jason exclaimed as Percy started the engine and Annabeth got into the front seat.

That was pretty impossible, with the few cells left in their brain.

Reyna got into the car last, sitting next to Thalia but carefully staying distant to avoid hurting them. Or maybe she was still angry. Thalia hoped it wasn't the latter.

They waved at Jason as he jogged through the parking lot to get to his car and Percy pulled out onto the main road and drove all the way back to Thalia and Reyna's apartment complex, making sure to slow down at every speed bump to avoid a smack on the back of the head courtesy of the very angry passenger in the back of his car who was in immense pain after one rookie mistake.

When they finally made it up and into the apartment, Annabeth opened the door as Reyna and Percy helped Thalia inside. Aurum and Argentum instantly ran up to them and Reyna had to step aside to get them as far away from Thalia as possible, scared they might actually hurt them more. Annabeth looked like her child had just been killed in the war while Percy was having a hard time hiding his amusement. He was going to make fun of Thalia so much once he was sure Thalia was okay and couldn't hurt him for it, and they were definitely not looking forward to it. They needed to stock up on insult bombs.

Annabeth moved around the apartment in agitation, fixing the pillows on the couch to make sure Thalia was comfortable, taking their ripped leather jacket, and promising to get it fixed for them as soon as possible (she was oddly really good at sewing just about anything), offering them just about anything they might need for extra comfort. It was starting to get annoying, frankly. Thalia liked getting attention, but this was just overwhelming.

Finally, after what felt like forever, Annabeth seemed to relax once she realised Thalia was actually okay.

Percy on the other hand kept asking them questions, demanding gruesome details. Thalia refused to indulge him. Eventually, Reyna asked him to take Aurum and Argentum for their evening walk and Percy was never one to refuse some quality time with massive puppies. Thalia had never been more grateful for their girlfriend.

"You sure you don't need anything?" Percy asked while standing in the doorway.

"Yeah, I'm sure! I'll text you if I change my mind. Now, please get out of here!" Thalia groaned in frustration. Percy groaned and dragged the dogs out into the hallway, closing the front door behind him.

"Should I order dinner?" Annabeth asked once it was just the three of them left, and Thalia grinned at her excitedly. Finally, someone with a good idea.

"Yeah, I'm actually in the mood for some nuggets!" They responded, their stomach growling as they realised they hadn't eaten anything since Reyna that morning. They smirked at the thought, hoping no one would notice.

"Reyna, you want anything?" Annabeth asked but she only shook her head, flopping down on the armchair.

"No, I'm okay, thanks," Reyna responded quietly while picking at her nails.

"What? Are you sure? We had that whole dinner date thing—"

"I'm not hungry," Reyna cut them off. "Besides, Annabeth and Percy are having dinner with us, aren't they?"

"Yeah..." Thalia breathed out a sigh, awkwardly scratching the back of their neck.

Annabeth cleared her throat, obviously feeling way too awkward, and pulled out her phone to take everyone's orders and call the fast-food restaurant.

With nothing left to do but wait for their food to get here, Thalia started feeling restless. And really dirty. They were just at a hospital, after all, in the middle of a global pandemic. They announced to everyone that they were going to take a shower, and though they offered to help, Thalia was too stubbornly independent to say yes. She let Reyna help them off the couch but then hopped all the way to the bathroom with the help of their crutches and closed the door behind them.

The first thing they did was sit down on the closed toilet lid. They took a deep breath in as they grabbed the hem of their t-shirt, but as they tried to pull it over their head, their ribs felt like they were on fire and it took all of their self-control not to let out a high-pitched scream in pain.

This wasn't going to work.

they tried to bend down to loosen the straps on the walking boot, but they could barely move an inch forward before their entire chest screamed, begging them to stop.

They realised they were going to have to swallow their pride, which was very hard to do, but they managed to pull out their phone from their pocket and dial Reyna's number. They placed the phone up to their ear as it started ringing, but Reyna hung up before the second ring. Then, they heard footsteps rushing toward the bathroom and the door pushed open, a frantic Reyna with a worried look on her face watching Thalia with deep frown lines.

"Are you okay? Has something happened?"

Thalia smiled at her sheepishly, shaking their head gently.

"No, don't worry. I'm okay. I just—" they let out a defeated sigh, closing their eyes to avoid embarrassment. "I can barely move my arms let alone take my shirt off," they mumbled, their voice almost inaudible. They kept their eyes closed, hoping they wouldn't have to confess that again. They had had enough humiliation for one day.

For a second, they really thought Reyna would just ignore them and walk out, leaving Thalia to figure it out themselves, what with her being so upset and passive-aggressive for the past few hours.

They weren't surprised when they heard the door close. They were, however, taken aback when they felt the warmth of another body approaching them. They slowly opened their eyes, peaking through their lashes at Reyna who slowly crouched down in front of them, placing gentle hands-on Thalia's knees.

"Let me," she whispered softly, hooking her fingers through the fabric of Thalia's t-shirt and started pulling it up carefully. She tossed it into the hamper and leaving Thalia in just their sports.

"I can't take that off without hurting you... It's pretty tight," she said softly, her eyes were still inspecting the fabric, trying to figure out how she was going to get it off without hurting Thalia.

"It's okay. I can take it. And then, I'll just have my tiddies out for six weeks!" They were dreading it. Not being able to wear their binder was going to be absolute hell. They were going to have to wear so many layers to feel comfortable... they were glad it was winter.

Reyna let out a soft chuckle, a smirk spreading over her face. "I'll look forward to that."

She moved her fingers to Thalia's shoulders, loosening each of the shoulder straps until they were loose enough to slip down their arms. But once the material was crumpled around Thalia's waist, she had no idea how to pull it over her head without possibly blinding Thalia with pain.

"I'm sorry, baby," Reyna grimaced as she grabbed the bra and started pulling it up and around Thalia's arms, careful not to touch her, but it was pretty hard. She poked her a couple of times, but Thalia only winced a little bit.

Fortunately, she managed to get the bra free and she tossed it in the hamper as well.

"You doing okay?" Reyna asked Thalia softly, knitting her eyebrows in concern. Thalia managed to hold out their hands and cup Reyna's cheeks. They nodded their head, gently caressing their girlfriend's face.

"I'm great, I promise."

Reyna turned her face to press a gentle smooch on Thalia's palm.

"We have to get the boot off now," Reyna told them, moving her hands down Thalia's leg.

Thalia leaned her back against the wall, dropping their hands in their lap as Reyna started loosening up the straps until the cast was completely free. She made sure Thalia's foot didn't move by propping it up firmly against her knee and pulling the boot off completely.

"This thing's gonna start smelling really bad pretty soon," Reyna pointed out, wrinkling her nose at the thought.

Thalia chuckled softly. "Nah, my feet always smell amazing!"

Reyna gave them a pointed look, raising an eyebrow in disbelief. "I'll be the judge of that."

Thalia watched Reyna in amusement as she started untying the bandages until her foot was finally free. They managed to wiggle their toes in Reyna's direction, only for her to scrunch her face up, making an elaborate display of her disgust.

"So horrible!" Reyna exclaimed with a very serious look on her face, which only meant she was joking.

"Well, your feet don't always smell great either. I'm just saying," Thalia shot back, a crooked grin forming on their face. Reyna rolled her eyes, but she still let out a soft laugh under her breath. She gently settled Thalia's foot down against the soft bathroom rug and got up on her feet, leaning back against the sink.

"Can you stand up? You can lean on me."

Thalia nodded, grabbing on to Reyna's hands as she pulled them up to their single foot, making sure all of their weight was held off their broken ankle, dangling right above the ground.

Reyna unbuckled Thalia's jeans and started pulling them down along with their underwear to their knees. Then, she got down on her knees again and Thalia gripped her shoulders as Reyna continued to pull the pants down until their broken leg was free. It hurt a little since the pant leg was so tight, but Reyna was gentler than she had ever been.

They sat back down on the toilet seat so that they could take the weight off their good leg and get rid of their pants completely.

"This is very rude of you, to be honest," Thalia started, glancing up at Reyna with a little smirk on their face.

"What is?"

"Here I am, completely naked. And there you are, still very dressed!"

Reyna rolled her eyes at Thalia, moving over to the tub and pulling the curtain to the side. She turned the faucet on and started checking the water temperature.

"If I remember correctly, this morning, you weren't being so rude."

"Yeah, well, things have changed since this morning," Reyna replied without turning to face them.

Thalia groaned, pouting at Reyna's back. "C'mon. I'm injured!"

Reyna finally turned around to face them, shaking her head a little. "That's not gonna work on me," she chuckled and shuffled over to Thalia's side. "Vamos. In the shower."

Reyna held out her hands and Thalia took hold of them to hoist themselves up and hop to the tub, but as they stood in front of it, they both realised that it was impossible for them to get in. Thalia could have used their arms to jump in on just one leg if it was just their leg that was broken. But no, they just had to go and hurt their ribs as well.

"Want me to carry you?" Reyna asked, a little smirk forming on her lips. This was not good for Thalia's ego, especially as a top. God.

Thalia didn't answer Reyna, hoping they could find a way to get in the bathtub, but there really wasn't any without putting stress on their ribs or their leg.

"No, it's okay," they started, trying to save their ego. "I'll figure it—" Before they could finish their sentence, Reyna had already bent down and scooped them up in their arms. It shouldn't have been this easy to carry them and their 5'10 ass. But Reyna barely even struggled as she held them up and carefully set them down on their butt in the tub. This was definitely NOT good for their ego. Shit, this was embarrassing.

"Dude! I can't believe— you can't— How did you— that's not how this works!" Thalia huffed, turning to glare at Reyna who only shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly.

"That's not how what works?" She asked casually, raising a questioning eyebrow in Thalia's direction, though they were pretty sure Reyna knew what they were talking about. She just wanted to revel in this humiliating moment.

"Us! I'm the top, you're the bottom. I carry you around. That's how it works. And I don't need to be sitting down for a fricken shower!"

Reyna snorted, reaching up to grab the detachable showerhead. She was already taking control of the situation, and though Thalia hated to admit, it was kind of hot. But they also had their reputation to think about.

"Do you want to slip and break your neck next?" Reyna simply answered, making sure the water wasn't too hot before holding it over Thalia's head. Their hair fell over their face, sticking annoyingly to their forehead and cheeks but they refused to move it away.

"Maybe I do!"

"How will you carry me around with a broken neck?" Reyna chuckled, brushing her fingers gently through Thalia's hair.

"I'll figure it out. As the top. And you'll let me do it. As the bottom," they huffed and closed their eyes to avoid getting water in them. And although they were enjoying the movement of Reyna's fingers against their scalp, they weren't going to admit that.

Reyna laughed softly but she didn't answer for a few minutes. She grabbed the bottle of shampoo instead and started lathering it into Thalia's hair. Okay, maybe having someone help you in the shower wasn't so bad...

"I'm not a bottom," Reyna finally said, her voice still laced with a little bit of amusement. She grabbed the showerhead again and started rinsing the foam out of Thalia's hair.

"No?" Thalia grinned, keeping their eyes closed to avoid getting any shampoo in them.

"Nope. I can definitely top. I doubt your ego could take it though."

Thalia let out an exaggerated gasp which kind of hurt their ribs but they didn't regret it much. "I think you're gonna have to for the next six weeks."

"And you're okay with that?" Reyna chuckled disbelievingly, handing the showerhead back to Thalia and grabbed some more shampoo for a second lather.

"Sure. If you admit that you most certainly are a bottom!" Thalia exclaimed, tilting their head back to smirk at Reyna, though they kept their eyes closed.

"How am I a bottom if I'm gonna be topping?" She countered and Thalia shrugged, only to regret it instantly as a pain jabbed their side. "And stop moving. Please."

"Fine, you're a power bottom." Thalia finally managed and Reyna sighed, moving to grab the shower head from Thalia and rinsed the soap out again.

"Fine. Power bottom it is," Reyna agreed with a breathy laugh, her fingers scratching Thalia's scalp in a very relaxing way. Thalia wondered why they had ever been so squirmy whenever anyone tried to baby them like that. But then again, other people were not Reyna. They were certain tender touches like these would not feel so good coming from anyone else.

"Is your pride gonna be fine with me washing the rest of your body?" Reyna teased them and Thalia finally their her eyes open to shoot Reyna their trademark grin.

"Only if you join me."

Reyna took a second to consider their offer and then finally, she shrugged her shoulders and dropped the showerhead in Thalia's lap.

"Might as well," she sighed, taking a step back and started pulling her clothes off and throwing them in the hamper. Then, she gently pushed Thalia's back forward and managed to settle down behind them, making sure not to come into contact with their broken bones.

Thalia closed their legs, giving Reyna more room to spread hers on either side of Thalia's and let them lean back against her chest.

Reyna reached for the body wash and the blue washcloth and poured some of the soap on. She began to lather Thalia's back, running the cloth over their skin with just enough pressure to avoid hurting them but still getting some soap to foam.

Reyna moved to Thalia's arms, leaning her chin over Thalia's shoulder and pressing her chest against their back. Thalia snuggled against her, a lazy smile on their face. When Reyna couldn't reach further down Thalia's legs, she handed them the washcloth.

"Can you lean forward or does it hurt?" She asked them softly, her mouth just below Thalia's ear, which was totally unfair because there was nothing they could do about in this position. They couldn't afford to move involuntarily at any good feeling. Ugh.

"Yeah, if I sit up..." Thalia mumbled, placing their hands on Reyna's thighs, giving themselves a slight push so that they could sit up straighter. Reyna helped them, keeping a firm, protective grip around them. When Thalia was in a better position, they leaned over their legs, managing to move a little to run the washcloth over them. It hurt their side just a little bit, but it was manageable, and Reyna's hands were gently massaging their muscles, which helped a lot.

When they were done, they let Reyna rinse the soap off their body, enjoying the feeling of her soft hands against their skin.

When Reyna was done with Thalia, she tied her hair up in a bun and started running the soap over her own body.

"I deserve to be watching that," Thalia grumbled, their back still facing Reyna. Moving around would have been too much work.

Reyna laughed quietly, leaning down and kissing Thalia's back softly. "I'm sure your imagination will do me more justice than reality."

Thalia chuckled, nodding in agreement. "I do have quite the imagination."

Reyna smiled against Thalia's skin while stealing the showerhead back and rinsing off her body. When she was done, she handed it back to Thalia, leaning over their shoulder to kiss their cheek. 

"I'm gonna grab some clothes. Do you want anything in particular?" Reyna asked them as she started climbing out of the tub, careful with Thalia.

"Whatever's comfortable."

Reyna pressed a kiss on Thalia's forehead once she was out and grabbed a towel from the rack on the wall, wrapping it around her body. When she reached the door, she turned around, narrowing her eyes and pointing a finger at Thalia.

"Don't do anything stupid. Okay?"

Thalia looked at her with an all-too-innocent grin. "I would never! Have a little faith!"

"Just stay put, okay? Don't move."

Thalia sighed and nodded their head, giving Reyna a more serious look now. "I promise. I won't move."

Reyna didn't seem like she believed them completely but she still made her way outside, leaving Thalia alone in the bathtub, still holding the running shower head in their lap. The water was warm and comforting, anyway.

Reyna returned a few moments later dressed in one of her grey sweatpants and an oversized hoodie she stole from Thalia's closet. She was holding more clothes for Thalia in her hands which she hung up on the towel rack before grabbing a clean towel.

"Are you done?" Reyna asked and Thalia nodded in response. Reyna turned the water off and wrapped the towel around Thalia's shoulders warmly.

"Are you gonna carry me back out?"

Thalia was only joking, but Reyna saw no other option.

"Yeah." She helped thalia up to their feet (well, foot), before scooping them up bridal style way too easily again and setting them down on the closed toilet lid.

"You shouldn't be able to do that!" Thalia complained, holding the towel closer.

"You're really not that heavy," Reyna replied nonchalantly and grabbed another smaller towel. She kneeled in front of Thalia and started drying her leg very slowly and softly.

"I'm like tall. And like, muscly, and stuff!"

"You are," Reyna agreed with an amused grin.

"And you've got noodle arms!"

Reyna looked up at her, actually taking offence. "I do not have noodle arms! You have noodle arms. Have you seen these biceps?" Reyna flexed her muscles, showing her perfectly toned arms.

"Okay, you have muscles! Still, you're not supposed to be able to carry me!"

"Okay, baby," Reyna sighed, grinning to herself before going back to her job, helping Thalia dry the rest of their body.

It took a few minutes with Reyna being extra careful, but eventually, Thalia's body was dry and their hair was wrapped in a towel.

Reyna helped Thalia slip into their boxers and then the pair of loose fitted cotton shorts. Getting into the t-shirt was hard, but they managed it without making Thalia's injuries any worse.

When Thalia was finally dressed, Reyna started rolling the bandage again around their foot. "It's not too tight, is it?" She kept asking Thalia who kept reassuring her that it was fine.

Once Thalia was back in the walking boot, Reyna helped them up to their feet and handed them the crutches. She opened the door for them and stood protectively right behind them as they hopped outside.

They found Annabeth sitting on the couch with Percy next to her, the food laid out on the coffee table.

"Hey! You doing okay?" Annabeth asked, pulling a piece of fry from the paper bag and popping it in her mouth.

"Yeah. Only slightly humiliated."

Reyna rolled her eyes and flopped down on the couch next to Annabeth. "You should be more humiliated about your accident than having me help you shower."

"She's right. I mean, what were you thinking? Texting and driving?" Annabeth agreed, looking at Thalia with a frown.

"They weren't thinking," Reyna muttered, leaning over to grab a soda from the table.

"Okay, well, when you two are done teaming up against me, would you mind handing me my food?"

Thalia sat down on the other end of the couch and Annabeth got up to grab a plate and filled it with their burger and some nuggets, fries, and a dipping sauce before handing it to them.

"You should keep your leg up," Reyna advised, grabbing the pillow behind her and placing it on her lap. She gave it a few pats, telling Thalia that it was more of a non-negotiable suggestion than simple advice. Thalia didn't complain. They lifted their leg up and rested their foot on the pillow on Reyna's knee.

As they ate, Annabeth flipped through the tv channels aimlessly until she landed on a movie that wasn't so bad. It was some rom-com which Thalia was pretty sure they should have known its name and the actors in it, but frankly, they had no idea who the blonde dude was. He looked like every other actor out there.

"Are you tired?" Reyna asked Thalia when the movie was over, gently brushing their hair away from their face. Thalia nuzzled Reyna's hand and nodded their head. They didn't feel like they were about to pass out, but lying down in bed sounded like a great idea right now.

"Let's get you to bed," Reyna murmured softly. She helped Thalia drop their legs back onto the floor and then up to their feet, handing them the crutches.

"Call me if you need anything, idiot," Annabeth told them, standing by the door with Percy. She was smiling, her words sincere despite the insult.

Thalia rolled their eyes but still grinned at their friend. "Sure, Annie. Hey, thanks for coming when I called after this one refused to answer," they pointing with their chin in Reyna's direction, even though they didn't really blame her. She had explained that she was with Hylla and they didn't really blame her anyway.

"Don't worry about it," Annabeth responded with a soft chuckle.

"Technically, I was the one who picked up the phone so..." Percy said, smirking boyishly.

"Yeah, thanks, water boy," Thalia chuckled.

They smiled gratefully at their two friends before they left and they hopped over to their bedroom, Reyna right behind them.

Once they were both inside, Reyna closed the door behind them and rushed over to the bed to pull the comforter aside. She laid an extra pillow on the end of the bed for Thalia to prop up their leg on it and then helped them to bed. She made sure Thalia was comfortable on their back and slipped under the blanket by Thalia's good side to avoid accidentally smacking them in her sleep.

Reyna lay down on her side and wrapped a lazy arm around Thalia's waist softly, nuzzling their shoulder. They cuddled in silence for a few moments, just enjoying each other's company. Reyna found Thalia's hand and laced their fingers together, fiddling with Thalia's fingers absentmindedly.

"Are you still mad at me?" Thalia mumbled, running their hand up and down Reyna's back.

Reyna shook her head softly. "I wasn't mad, Thal. I'm just— I was really worried and, and scared." Reyna's voice was barely over a whisper, and Thalia felt their heart wrenching.

"I'm really sorry, Rey. But I promise I'm okay. I'll always be okay."

Reyna sat up in bed, staring down at Thalia with her eyebrows furrowed, her eyes wide in fear and concern. "How do you know that? I mean, after today—" Reyna sighed and pulled her lip between her teeth to chew on it. "Anything could have happened, Thalia. I could've lost you."

Thalia pulled their gaze away from Reyna's as guilt took over them. They really were being selfish when they were so reckless and thoughtless.

"Look, I know what I did was just— so fucking dumb. I should have been more careful. But I'm still here, and I promise, you're not gonna lose me, okay? I'm not going anywhere."

Reyna looked down at Thalia, the fear still in her eyes but she nodded anyway and lay back down in her spot next to Thalia.

"I can't lose you," Reyna admitted quietly against Thalia's shoulder, gripping the fabric of their t-shirt between her fingers.

Thalia nuzzled Reyna's hair, kissing her temple softly. "You're not going to. After all, you can't live without tu cielo."

Reyna snorted softly, propping herself up on her arm so she could have a better look at Thalia's face. "I think I could live without you. You on the other hand... who would take care of you?"

"Annabeth's like my mom, so..." Thalia grinned and they both laughed softly at their joke that was more accurate than it should have been. Annabeth was the biggest mom friend ever, always making sure Thalia was okay, which was ironic because she rarely ever took the time to take care of her own self.

"I thought you said you didn't want to take care of me?" Thalia grinned up at Reyna who was watching them with a glint in her big and black eyes.

"I thought you said you were a top," Reyna shot back with a small smirk.

"Okay, touché," Thalia chuckled, their smile widening. "Will you take care of me?"

Reyna leaned her face closer, holding Thalia's chin between her thumb and index to tilt their head up. "If you promise to be a good girl," she breathed out in a husky voice and Thalia's breath hitched in their throat, their smile faltering.

Quite satisfied with herself, Reyna lay back down on her back, pulling the covers up to her chest, the smirk still playing on her face.

"Okay," Thalia finally mumbled, clearing their throat right after.

They were wrong before. This was the most humiliated they had ever been. Getting so flustered when Reyna used her sexy voice on them? They remembered this one girl who tried that same thing on them once and Thalia had burst out laughing in her face; it wasn't hot, it hadn't even been a cute attempt.

But Reyna? She knew exactly what she was doing and Thalia feared they might not be totally opposed to letting her top one of these days.

Reyna was quiet after that and when Thalia turned to glance at her, they saw that her eyes were closed, her breathing steady. They thought she must have already fallen asleep when she spoke up again, her voice quiet but with a hint of amusement.

"Told you I'm not a bottom."

Thalia let out a laugh, poking Reyna's side to make her squirm. "You're my bottom, though."

Reyna turned around to her side, leaning her face over Thalia's, a huge smile on her face.

"I'll let you have it. Only because you're hurt."

"My, how generous of you!" Thalia exclaimed in their best English accent, which was very terrible. Reyna laughed and finally leaned in and kissed Thalia tenderly.

Thalia smiled and kissed her back, placing their hand on Reyna's back. Reyna pecked their lips several times before she finally settled back down on the mattress and nestled into Thalia's side. 

They burrowed their face into Reyna's hair, breathing in the faint smell of her lavender shampoo, smiling to themselves.

"Te quiero, mi cielo," Reyna whispered and kissed Thalia's jawline softly.

Thalia beamed down at her, wishing they had the strength to pull her in closer and squish her in a tight hug. They settled for a simple nose boop. "I love you too, angel," they replied softly.

It wasn't long before their pain meds prescription finally kicked in and they were taken over by a wave of yawns, their eyelids becoming too heavy to stay open. Thalia closed their eyes, beaming to themselves as they slipped into a dreamless sleep with Reyna's arms wrapped protectively around them.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys :) hope you're having a wonderful weekend! Here's a teeny (giant) chapter with your fav couple fluff and also: 
> 
> TW// some kinky smut-ish? and also a small convo about gender dysphoria 
> 
> enjoy!

"I am this _fucking_ close to murdering you!" Thalia exclaimed through gritted teeth.

Reyna let out a scoff at the ridiculousness of that statement. "You? I'm completely obliterating you!"

"One more word and I swear to Kirby I'll make you sleep on the couch!"

Reyna laughed, successfully throwing another punch in Thalia's direction. "First of all, you can't do that. I have my own bed. Second, I'd much rather sleep on the couch than on a bed with a sore loser anyway."

"Okay, that's it. Fuck you. Punch me one more time. I fucking dare you!" Thalia challenged Reyna, egging her on with a threatening edge to their voice.

Of course, Reyna was never one to back down from a challenge. So, she did exactly what Thalia had dared her to. She threw another punch, watching delightfully as Thalia flew off the platform and was KO'ed.

"HA! I WIN AGAIN!" Reyna cried out excitedly. Thalia groaned heavily, leaning back against the couch while scowling deeply.

"That's it. I wanna break-up."

Reyna laughed wholeheartedly as she set the controller on the coffee table and got up to her feet. She dusted off her sweatpants and flopped down on the couch next to Thalia, forcing her way into her partner's personal space.

"You're such a sore loser!" Reyna mocked them, sticking her tongue out teasingly. Thalia rolled their eyes, throwing their controller on the other end of the couch. They were done losing for the day.

"You're not such a good loser either. An even less humble winner, too!" Thalia responded and Reyna only grinned, shrugging her shoulders casually.

"I still beat your ass twelve times in a row."

"Whatever!" Thalia grumbled, turning the Nintendo Switch off.

The last week had been unbearably long. Thalia couldn't do much other than just sitting around their apartment and stuff their face with food. At least, they had a reason to skip most of their classes this time, or at least be late. "Sorry, professory," they would email them, "but I just got out of a horrible motorbike accident!" Most of the professors honestly didn't care whether they attended or not anyway, as long as they got their work done, and mostly, they did. Though, it was pretty frustrating how they couldn't stand up to paint anymore.

But the only good thing about being temporarily incapacitated was being with Reyna almost every waking hour. And every sleeping hour too. She had taken it upon herself to become Thalia's own personal nurse whenever she wasn't in class. As independent as they would have rather been, they didn't complain much. It was pretty nice when Reyna took care of them. They didn't abuse the privilege too much, but sometimes, they would admit guiltily, they did play the "I'm injured" card to get more snuggles and kisses. Reyna was always more than happy to oblige, though she did pretend to be begrudging about it.

Most nights were spent on the couch, watching a movie, or playing video games. Thalia had introduced Reyna to the wonderful world of Super Smash Bros. and had managed to bring the more competitive side in her. Though Reyna insisted on using Kirby, she had eventually learned how to beat Thalia and once she had gotten the hang of it, she was invincible and as cute as her losing pouts were, her excited winning grins were even cuter with the way her eyes sparkled in pure joy. Whenever Thalia had felt like they were close to winning, they had started letting Reyna send the final blow thei way, just to see the excitement on her face.

As Reyna kept staring at them, sitting only mere inches away, Thalia couldn't help but smile at her. They reached up with their hand, pushing a loose strand of hair behind Reyna's ear.

"Do you still wanna break-up?" Reyna asked, her eyes dancing in amusement.

"I'm still considering it, yeah," Thalia nodded, trying to keep a straight face, but it was hard, what with Reyna being so unbearably adorable.

Reyna leaned in and kissed Thalia's cheek softly. "What about now?" She whispered and Thalia's lips threatened to spread into a smile. They forced them to remain stoic in a frowning state.

"Nope," they murmured, popping the 'p' with emphasis. "Not working."

Reyna let out a heavy sigh in exaggeration and leaned in even closer. She set her hands on either side of the couch around Thalia, carrying her weight up carefully so as to not crush them and probably worsen their healing injuries. Reyna's lips pressed against the corner of Thalia's mouth which quivered at the contact. It was getting harder and harder to keep their smile at bay.

"How about now?" Reyna murmured, smirking as she noticed her effect on Thalia.

Thalia reached around Reyna's waist and rested their hands on her hips. Her ribs were healing pretty fast, so the effort did not hurt them as much as it used to, and they were glad. They grinned with their tongue behind their teeth and tilted their head back.

"You might wanna try a little bit harder," Thalia whispered back but just as soon as they had finished speaking, Reyna's lips were on theirs. She placed a hand lightly on Thalia's cheek, kissing them deeply.

When she pulled away a few moments later, Thalia's lungs were burning. They took in a deep breath and fluttered their eyes open. They met Reyna's gaze through their lashes, seeing her chest rise and fall heavily above them and Reyna smiled widely down at them.

"How about now?"

Thalia smiled back and let out a small laugh. "I guess you're forgiven."

"Even though I didn't do anything wrong," Reyna muttered, playfully rolling her eyes.

Though she was right, Thalia wasn't going to admit it. Instead, they pulled Reyna back down for another kiss, but this one was much slower and gentler, and Thalia found themselves melting in Reyna's warm embrace, feeling peace and comfort take over.

Reyna pecked Thalia's lips once after pulling away, and then their nose before finally sitting down properly on the couch. Thalia dropped their leg from the coffee table onto the floor and turned to face Reyna.

"Scooch," they ordered, waving their hands between them to indicate to Reyna that they wanted her to move.

Reyna looked at them with a bit of confusion but still moved to the other side of the couch, only to have Thalia lay their head in her lap, leaving their legs dangling from the other couch arm.

"Are you comfortable?" Reyna drawled sarcastically and Thalia grinned toothily up at her.

"Very!" They responded excitedly. "Play with my hair?"

Reyna hummed in response and moved her hands to Thalia's head. She started combing her fingers through their messy hair, gently detangling the soft strands.

"Your hair's growing," Reyna pointed out, taking her time with every stroke of her fingers through the dark locks.

Thalia scrunched their nose in distaste, shaking their head in Reyna's lap to ruffle their hair and letting the long strands fall onto their face. "It's getting annoying." They blew some air up to move the strands of hair that were covering their eyes but they only fell back onto the same spot. "I wanted to get a haircut before the accident."

Reyna chuckled, gently moving the hair away and brushing them backward. "I kinda like it," she disagreed with Thalia. "There's more for me to... _pull_..." and of course, she gave Thalia a good pull that wasn't too harsh, but she heard Thalia's sharp intake of breath. Reyna smirked.

"Do that again and we'll have to take this to the bedroom." Thalia looked up, their blue eyes meeting Reyna's dark ones. She was enjoying this way too much.

"What if I did it again and we stayed here instead?" Reyna challenged, tugging again at Thalia's hair, slowly increasing the strength of her pull.

"God, you're such a tease!" Thalia exclaimed, reaching their hands up to grab Reyna by the face and pull her down. But just before their noses met, Thalia had an idea.

They let go of Reyna's cheeks and sat up abruptly, turning around to face their girlfriend.

"Look who's being the tease now," Reyna rolled her eyes.

"I want you to cut my hair again," Thalia answered instead.

"You want... me to cut your hair? Right now?" Reyna looked at them a little tiredly.

Thalia grinned, brushing their hair back as it had fallen onto their face again when they had sat up so abruptly. "Cut my hair. I shouldn't make a trip to the hairdresser's in the middle of a pandemic, and I can't really move anyway. Hairdressers never get it right, either. Not like you did that one time you cut my hair. Plus, it's like romantic or something... isn't it?"

Reyna blinked. "I suppose... I mean— but like, right now? I have to get back to studying for my final tomorrow and I'm really tired, babe. I might make you look ugly."

"I'm offended that you think I could look ugly!"

Reyna scoffed, shaking her head at Thalia. "First of all, your ego's terrible today!"

Thalia grinned brightly, feigning innocence.

"And second of all, while you might probably still look hot with a weird mohawk or a bald head like an egg, I'm pretty sure I could manage to make you look ugly. I think we've established I'm not artistic for shit," Reyna chuckled bittersweetly.

Thalia simply laughed and pushed themselves off the couch into a standing position, leaning all of their weight on their good leg. "Okay, then, try and make me look ugly!" They held their hand out, wiggling their fingers in Reyna's face.

With a heavy sigh, Reyna reluctantly took ahold of Thalia's hand and pushed herself off the couch. She handed Thalia their crutches and then followed them into the bathroom.

"If I do manage to make you look ugly, you can't blame me!" Reyna demanded, though her voice was calm, and a little amused. She knew she wasn't going to actually fuck with THalia's hair. They would probably murder her. Actually, they would cry first, then murder her.

"If you do, I'll just shave my head," Thalia replied as they stepped into the bathroom, only half-joking. Having no hair seemed very tempting at times if they were being honest. "Okay, but seriously... please don't make me look ugly..."

Reyna sent them a mischievous grin, holding up the pair of shears between her fingers and giving them a terrifying snap. Thalia didn't even see her grab them from the cabinet. "Sit down," she ordered and with the scissors in her hands, they didn't dare disobey.

Thalia settled down on the small bathroom stool as Reyna grabbed a comb and a towel to cover Thalia's back.

"Hey, Rey, I'm really not sure this is such a great idea anymore..." Thalia murmured, running a hand through their hair as if to protect it.

Reyna waved her hand dismissively in the air. "Nonsense. It's the best idea you've had in weeks!"

Reyna ran her fingers softly through Thalia's locks, settling down behind them. "Actually, this might be your second-worst idea ever, but I'll make it your best."

Thalia had to admit, this confident Reyna was really hot.

"What's my first?" they asked with a small grimace, knowing exactly what Reyna was probably going to say.

Reyna didn't answer instantaneously. She walked over to the sink and grabbed the empty mug that was just laying there for some reason and filled it with water from the tap.

"That really dumb thing you did a week ago that could've killed you," Reyna finally answered as she waltzed back over to Thalia, the bitterness in her voice sharp enough to cut Thalia's hair on its own.

Before Thalia could even think of an appropriate response, Reyna dumped the water over their head, wetting their hair, and their back, and their chest, and their thighs.

"Fucking—" Thalia shrieked, almost jumping out of their seat. The water was freezing. "What the fuck was that for?"

Reyna stood in front of them with a sheepish grin. "I gotta wet your hair before cutting it, right?"

Thalia narrowed their eyes in a glare, though they had a feeling they didn't look so scary, having to blink the droplets of water out of their vision. "You could've given me a heads up."

Reyna chuckled, placing the mug in the sink and grabbing the comb and the pair of scissors once again. "Where's the fun in that?"

" _Chingate,"_ Thalia muttered, folding their arms across their chest. Yeah, they'd picked up a few words in Spanish after living with Reyna for over a year. It was mostly swear words.

Reyna started running the comb through Thalia's hair, brushing out every single tangle. "That's not nice," she murmured in response, amusement clear in her voice. Thalia was no longer amused though as their t-shirt started sticking to their skin at the wet patches.

Thalia didn't answer, choosing to glare at Reyna's reflection in the mirror in front of them instead. Reyna was smiling to herself, feeling a lot better about messing up Thalia's hair than she had been moments earlier if that was even possible. Thalia supposed getting splashed with water wasn't so bad if it meant she was probably going to get a decent haircut. They really hoped they were about to get a decent haircut.

Reyna stuffed the comb in her jeans' front pocket when she was done and gripped the scissors tightly.

"Are you ready?" She asked Thalia, meeting their gaze in the mirror. Thalia intensified their glare like the child that they were. Reyna rolled her eyes, running her free hand through the wet strands and holding the ends between her middle and index finger. "I'm doing this... now's the time to stop me..."

Thalia didn't respond. And before they knew it, they heard a snip. They felt the first piece of hair graze the back of their arm as it fell to the ground. They let out a breath they didn't even know they were holding.

Reyna seemed really at ease with the scissors. Thalia watched her through the mirror as her brows furrowed in concentration and her tongue poked out at the corner of her mouth. It was kind of adorable. Thalia saw their hair slowly start losing length and it honestly felt freeing.

Reyna stopped when Thalia's hair was even at the back, reaching the top of their jaw. They wouldn't have minded it shorter, but they kept quiet, letting Reyna work in peace. They didn't want to bother her while she was holding a pair of very dangerous and sharp shears.

Reyna moved in front of Thalia and leaned back against the sink to steady herself. She grabbed Thalia's chin, tilting their head upward a little and Thalia beamed at her as their eyes met.

"Do you want bangs?" Reyna asked them, and Thalia feared she might have been very serious. Their smile faltered.

"Are you feeling experimental?" They asked her worriedly and Reyna cracked a smile, running the comb through Thalia's hair at the front that was still too long.

"Maybe a little," she mumbled, focusing on the left side. "I hold way too much power in just one hand right now." Her smirk really scared Thalia.

"Just don't make me look ugly, _please_ ," Thalia told her softly, closing their eyes to avoid watching their own demise as their hair was being butchered.

"I won't," Reyna promised them, using her fingers to move Thalia's face slightly to the side.

Thalia couldn't see what was happening but they heard a soft snip just above their ear and they swallowed back nervously. The comb brushed through their hair again and then, _snip._ Again.

They started humming under their breath to keep themselves distracted from the sound of the scissors taking away more of their hair. Maybe Reyna was right. This might not have been their brightest idea. But worst-case scenario, they could always shave their whole head. That was always an option.

They were starting to consider it very seriously when Reyna pulled back, her thumb lingering on Thalia's cheek for a second longer, brushing away stray pieces of hair.

"All done!" Reyna announced. "I think..."

That wasn't very reassuring.

Taking in a shaky breath, Thalia opened their eyes slowly, staring straight ahead into the mirror.

To their surprise, their hair did not look so bad. In fact, it actually looked great. Reyna had given them a similar haircut as she did all those months ago, shortening it just enough to satisfy Thalia and they figured so she had a little bit of length to pull on. She also somehow managed to give them subtle curtain bangs that layered into the rest of their hair and shaped the sharp bones in their face perfectly.

"Dude... I told you this was a great idea!" Thalia exclaimed, a grin forming slowly on their face.

"You said no such thing!" Reyna responded. "Do you like it?" she asked with a small and nervous smile on her face, brushing her fingers lightly through Thalia's hair again.

Thalia beamed excitedly up at her and grabbed her hand, squeezing it reassuringly. "I love it!"

"Well, then, you're welcome," Reyna chuckled, scratching the back of her neck awkwardly. Thalia pulled her in closer by her hand which they held up to their lips and kissed her knuckles gently.

"You should consider dropping out and opening up a hair salon!" Thalia joked as they used Reyna's hand to pull themselves up to their feet. They took another look at themselves in the mirror, grinning as they excitedly ruffled their hair.

"I'll consider it if the whole lawyer thing doesn't work out," Reyna chuckled, setting down the scissors on the bathroom's countertop. She then scooted over to Thalia's side and wrapped her arms around their waist. "I did do an awesome job, didn't I?"

"Yeah, you did," Thalia agreed, turning around to face her. They pecked her lips softly, wrapping their arms around Reyna tightly. Thalia glanced at the scissors and looked at Reyna with a raised eyebrow as a horrible idea of their own came to mind.

Reyna's eyes widened as she seemed to understand and she shook her head furiously, taking a few steps back. "No. You're not cutting my hair."

"C'mon! I trusted you with my hair!"

Thalia grabbed their crutches and hopped after Reyna who had scurried off to the living room.

"Because you're impulsive and I'm trustworthy!" Reyna fought back and curled up on the couch next to Argentum. Thalia wanted to laugh as she proceeded to pull the hood of her sweater up to hide her hair, as though it would protect it from Thalia's bad ideas, but she didn't, partly because they were slightly offended. 

"You don't trust me?" They pouted, hobbling over to the couch and sitting down while facing her.

Reyna's eyes widened a little and she moved closer to Thalia, holding their hands tightly. "Of course, I trust you with my life, baby," she reassured Thalia, cupping their cheek with the palm of her hand. "Just— not with my hair." Her fingers caressed Thalia's cheek and moving up to their hair, pushing the strands back gently.

Thalia pouted and swatted her hand away. "Fine, then I don't trust you with my hair either!"

Reyna raised her eyebrows in surprise and pulled her hands back to her lap. "It's kind of... it's a bit too late for that, Thal..."

Thalia scowled, crossing their arms tightly. "No, trust me, it's not," they said determinedly. They knew just how much Reyna loved playing with their hair, especially when they were making out or when they were going down on her, and while Thalia also loved it whenever Reyna would pull at their hair, they could sacrifice that for the sake of torturing Reyna a little.

They knew they were being childish, but it was always fun to tease their girlfriend. It only ever made sex so much more fun.

"I literally just cut your hair!" Reyna exclaimed with a small chuckle of disbelief.

"You did." Thalia pulled out the smuggest smirk they could muster and moved in as close to Reyna's face as they could without touching her. "But I'm not gonna let you touch my hair anymore."

They smirk grew as they saw Reyna's eyes widen a little. "You don't want me to touch your hair?"

"Nope!"

Thalia leaned in even closer, brushing their nose against Reyna's.

"But you love it when I—"

"Ah, ah, ah," Thalia pulled back as Reyna had raised her hand toward their hair. They shook their head, pushing Reyna's hand back down. "What did I just say?" They used her most commanding, low and deep voice, one that they used a lot in the bedroom, their tone rough. She noticed Reyna's eyes darken and they ran their tongue over their bottom lip as slow as they could, letting it rest between their teeth as they simpered at Reyna, hovering above her.

"Okay, fine. I won't touch your hair," Reyna agreed, her voice suddenly turning huskier. "But it's only going to backfire when you won't let me _pull_ at it."

"I think I'll manage."

They simply stared at each other, neither one of them daring to touch the other and close the distance between them, but it only made the tension between them intensify tenfold. Thalia felt themselves starting to crumble and they were about to say _fuck it_ and kiss Reyna, when Reyna herself crashed into Thalia, their lips meeting in a very heated kiss.

Thalia smirked triumphantly against Reyna's lips, settling their hands on her waist and letting their weight rest on top of her without crushing her — they kind of needed to rest their leg and healing ribs. Reyna's arms snaked around Thalia's shoulders, pulling them incredibly close as she parted her lips, giving Thalia full access to her mouth, though she didn't relent control so easily.

Reyna made sure she kept her hands away from Thalia's hair as their tongues lapped against each other. She wasn't giving up so easily, and Thalia respected it. But they were going to have Reyna crumbling to pieces beneath them, melting slowly under their touch like burning wax.

Thalia pulled away and sat up straight, watching in amusement as Reyna tried to catch her breath, her face conflicted. She wanted to complain about Thalia pulling away so fast, but she was determined not to lose.

"Bed?" Thalia suggested and Reyna nodded. She hurriedly helped Thalia up to their feet and went to open the door to their bedroom. Thalia took their sweet time, placing each crutch one at a time with each step and hopping only a few inches away at a time. It took them much, much longer than usual to get to their room but the impatience growing in Reyna's expression was worth it.

Reyna muttered something in Spanish under her breath as Thalia pushed past her and into the room. She shut the door and switched the lights on before jumping on the bed, already kicking off her socks and unbuckling her jeans.

"Patience, my young grasshopper," Thalia told her in a deep voice which only made Reyna roll her eyes.

"Shut up!"

They grinned, getting rid of the crutches and flopping down next to Reyna. They leaned their weight on their good side and grabbed Reyna by her belt loops, pulling her closer. They bent down and brushed their lips against hers as their fingers worked the buckle and started tugging the belt free until they were holding it in their hands.

"You know," they started in a quiet voice, running their fingers over the soft leather fabric of the belt. "I really don't trust you to keep your hands away from my hair."

Reyna seemed to understand where Thalia was going with this, glancing down at the belt and then back up to meet Thalia's gaze again.

"Do it, then," Reyna goaded them in a breathy voice, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth.

Thalia felt their stomach churn as images of Reyna with her hands tied flooded their mind.

"Are you sure?" They raised their eyebrows, both hopeful and careful not to make Reyna uncomfortable. Thalia would never want to do anything that Reyna wasn't comfortable with.

Reyna slipped her hoodie over her head, along with her t-shirt in response, tossing them both to the foot of the bed. She wasn't wearing a bra and Thalia pulled their lower lip between their teeth at the sight before her. Reyna truly was ethereal, and Thalia never wasted an opportunity to remind her.

For a second, they completely forgot what they were up to and closed the gap between them and Reyna in a searing kiss.

"Literal," they took a breath, their hand cupping Reyna's jaw. "Goddess," they breathed out harshly, kissing her again.

Reyna smirked as she kissed them back, settling her hands on their back where the t-shirt was still sticking to their back where it was wet. Her fingers trailed down to Thalia's waist, teasing their exposed skin on their lower back, and then up to their abdomen to their chest.

And then, Reyna pushed Thalia off her, all the way back until they were sitting on their butt, their legs sprawled out in front of them. Thalia felt their heart hammering hard in their ribcage as they tried to steady their breathing. Sure, they were technically the top in this dynamic, and they were about to tie Reyna's arms, but really, they were Reyna's bitch and Reyna knew it.

Reyna held her hands out in front of her, her wrists pressed against each other, and Thalia suddenly remembered the purpose of this whole thing.

Thalia shook themselves back into reality, managing to pull a small smirk. They grabbed the belt in their hands and started tying it around Reyna's hands. This wasn't exactly their first time with bondage, so they didn't have to focus too hard on the task at hand, and it only took them a few moments to loop the belt like a pair of handcuffs around Reyna's wrists, making sure it wasn't too tight to cut off her circulation, but also not loose enough to let her hands slip free.

Once they were done, they made the restraints were tied well and safely and then pushed Reyna's arms over her head. Reyna could still drop her hands if she wanted to. That wouldn't do, not if they really wanted to tease her...

"Don't move a muscle," they ordered and slipped off the bed (not so smoothly, given the fact that their leg was in a cast, but they still managed, and Reyna didn't give them any grief about it, thankfully. They both knew it wasn't as attractive as Thalia would have hoped).

* * *

Thalia hopped on one leg toward their drawers and pulled the first one open. They rummaged through it until they found an old black and white bandana. They held it in one hand as they shut the drawer and hopped back over to the bed. They stayed on their feet on the ground, folding the bandana over itself until it lost its square shape.

They could feel Reyna's eyes boring into their skin as she watched their every move intently, though she remained silent. Good.

Thalia grabbed her hands again and ran the bandana through the belt buckle. They lifted Reyna's arms again and proceeded to tie the bandana through the bedpost until it was secure. Reyna pulled a little at the restraints, but they were firm. Her hands didn't budge, and Thalia smirked down at her.

"Perfect." They sat down on the side of the bed, placing their hand on Reyna's other side. They leaned in, kissing Reyna ever so lightly on the lips before pulling away, a huge grin on their face. "I know last week was great, with you taking control and all, and as much as I enjoyed it," they stopped, wetting their lips slowly. Reyna's eyes followed Thalia's tongue as it ran along the shape of their lips. "I think I enjoy it _so_ much more when you're so... _helpless_ , like this."

Thalia heard Reyna's breaths deepen, becoming harsher. Her chest was rising and falling much faster, and even her leg bent up, her foot flat against the mattress.

Thalia rested their hand over Reyna's knee, gently coaxing her leg back down. They trailed their fingers up Reyna's thighs, massaging them gently along their way until they reached the waistband of her jeans and they flicked the button to undo it.

Thalia maintained eye contact as they slowly pulled the zipper down and tapped her hips gently, silently asking her to lift herself up a little, which she did. They had become so attuned to one another, they didn't need words to communicate. Thalia hooked their index fingers under the waistband of her jeans and panties and began to slowly pull them down until Reyna was left completely naked.

Thalia could see the small bumps rising along her skin wherever their hand brushed over her bare skin. Thalia bent down, pressing their lips just over Reyna's bellybutton. Reyna's abdomen contracted, involuntarily rolling in a wavelike motion making Thalia chuckle softly, settling their hands on Reyna's hips to keep her in place. They then climbed over her, lips brushing against Reyna's jaw. They moved them up to the corner of Reyna's mouth and pulled back just as she had parted her lips. Thalia smirked, nuzzling their nose into Reyna's cheek.

"Thalia..." Reyna breathed out, the whine in her voice like music to Thalia's ears.

Thalia attached their lips to Reyna's cheek, moving down to her sharp jaw, peppering it with harsh kisses. They used one hand to push Reyna's face back for better access as they dipped their head into the crook of her neck. Their teeth nipped at the smooth skin, pulling it between their lips and sucking it in until they heard Reyna's first moan of the night.

Thalia heard the leather rubbing against the bedpost and they glanced up to find Reyna clenching her fists only to release them a second later and wiggling her fingers around. Thalia's cocky grin only grew and they let out a soft laugh under their breath, burying their face in Reyna's shoulder. Thalia's lips pecked at the smooth skin, contouring her collarbone. They moved lower, down Reyna's sternum, grazing her breast along the way just lightly enough to have a gentle shiver course through her body.

Thalia could feel Reyna's chest rising and falling harshly as their lips circled her breast and when they brushed over her nipple, it had already pebbled. They flicked it with their tongue, listening to Reyna's sharp inhale as they did so. They closed her mouth around the bud next, sucking it in between their lips and swirling their tongue around it.

"Thal," Reyna murmured, breathing heavily, her body squirming a little against the bedsheets. Thalia's grip on her hips tightened, keeping her in place.

As Thalia pulled away to catch their breath, they pulled at Reyna's nipple with their lips gently, releasing it slowly. They looked up at Reyna's face, seeing her lips slightly parted, practically begging them for some attention. Well, it wouldn't hurt to concede.

Thalia left a trail of hot, wet kisses up to Reyna's jaw, tracing the sharp line all the way down to her chin, where they could feel Reyna's warm breath against their skin. They tilted her head back and captured Reyna's parted lips in a soft and slow kiss. They pushed their tongue into Reyna's mouth, and this time there wasn't much resistance. Reyna let them swallow her every breath, deepening the kiss with every passing second, their fingers busying themselves on her sides, massaging and caressing every bit of skin they could reach.

Thalia could feel their thoughts already starting to fog, only forming images of Reyna. Reyna's beautiful, plump lips. Reyna's eyes, wide and dark. Reyna's long and nimble fingers, clenched as her hands were tied firmly to the bedpost. They could only focus on her taste; bitter coffee from the many cups she had had during the day. The faint smell of the vanilla-scented body lotion she had used.

Thalia was losing themself in everything that was Reyna as their mouthed moved harshly together in a hot and passionate kiss, lips and teeth and tongues clashing.

That is... until they felt Reyna pull at the restraints. Thalia reached up with one hand, clasping their fingers around Reyna's wrists to keep her from moving them as they slowly pulled back, taking in a deep breath.

Their lips slowly curved up in a smirk. "You sure you don't want to... tug at my hair?" They ran their fingers through their newly trimmed locks, pushing them off their face, keeping their gaze locked with Reyna's.

"Positive," Reyna managed to utter, relaxing her fingers under Thalia's touch, unclenching her fists. Her eyes deceived her though, jumping up to Thalia's disheveled head of hair for just a split second, but it was enough.

Thalia laughed, their face only mere centimetres away from Reyna's. Their lips grazed one another as they spoke. "That's a lie," they whispered with a wide smirk, and as Reyna tried to lean in again to kiss Thalia, they pulled away just as fast, but not so fast that they missed Reyna's pout of betrayal as they nestled their face into her shoulder.

Thalia moved down, pressing a wet kiss on Reyna's skin along the way, down her chest and cleavage, to the spot right above her bellybutton and the spot right under it, Reyna's belly doing flips with every sharp intake of breath.

They pushed themselves all the way down until they were situated between Reyna's thighs, their legs hanging from the edge of the bed. It wasn't the most comfortable of positions for them, especially given their situation, but right now, they could only focus on Reyna and pleasuring her while also teasing the living hell out of her.

Thalia ran their fingers along the inside of Reyna's thigh until they reached the back of her knee and trailed them back up, completely aware of the rising goosebumps along her skin. They bent down, brushing their lips against Reyna's smooth skin, peppering featherlight kisses anywhere their lips could reach. They could spend the rest of eternity worshiping Reyna's body the way it deserved to be. They had done so too many times already and had memorized every last mole and birthmark, every single faded scar that marked her skin like a masterpiece, and Thalia treated her as such.

"God, you're beautiful," Thalia murmured into Reyna's inner thigh, glancing up at her through their lashes. She looked like a roman goddess, with her perfectly chiseled face and her long hair falling over her bare shoulders, the muscles in her arms more prominent than ever with her arms resting above her head, wrists tied to the bed frame.

Maybe Reyna was right not to trust Thalia with a pair of scissors when her hair looked so good already, but they were enjoying this a lot, so they probably won't ever admit it. And besides, Reyna seemed to be enjoying it just as much. They couldn't rob her of all the coming pleasure!

"What do you want, baby?" Thalia asked, caressing Reyna's thighs with their fingertips, rough and calloused in contrast to her soft and smooth skin.

"You," Reyna breathed out simply, watching Thalia through her long and dark lashes.

Thalia kissed the top of Reyna's thigh harshly, pulling the skin with their teeth. Reyna took in a shaky breath, her leg squirming. Thalia's grip tightened, keeping her legs in place.

"You have to be more specific," Thalia chuckled, leaning their chin on Reyna's leg while glancing up at her to meet her gaze. "You already have me," they added, sending her a small wink.

They could tell Reyna was fighting the urge to smile, her lips twitching. Instead, she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth in thought, tilting her head to the side until it was leaning against her own shoulder.

"Whatever you want," she finally decided and Thalia rolled their eyes at the indecisive answer.

"Such a bottom!" they exclaimed with a sigh, jokingly of course. Maybe just a little bit, though...

Thalia grabbed Reyna by the knees, spreading her legs as far apart as they went, and thank fuck, Reyna was quite possibly the most flexible person they had ever met. It worked out great.

They pressed their lips against the inside of Reyna's thigh, trailing them all the way up until their face was right above her sex, only inches away, and Reyna's breathing picked up, her abdomen rising and falling faster.

Thalia moved their hand up, following the wet trail their mouth had left, and with their middle finger, they circled Reyna's entrance, brushing over her slit all the way up to her folds, their fingertip coming out slick. They smirked cockily. They barely had to do anything to get her soaking wet.

Thalia used a single finger to circle over Reyna's clit, agonisingly slow, their touch like that of a ghost's. It was driving Reyna insane with the way she was writhing beneath them.

"Just—" Reyna groaned, her hands fidgeting in their bonds. "Just stop teasing and get on with it."

Thalia let out a soft laugh. "That's more like it." And without another thought, Thalia leaned their face all the way down and closed their lips around Reyna's clit.

Reyna breathed out a quiet moan, and Thalia pushed their tongue against her clit, applying some gentle pressure.

Thalia started off slowly, working their tongue around at a steady pace. They used the flat side, running it over the sensitive bud, and the tip of their tongue to run it along her opening, licking their way back up to Reyna's clit.

Reyna's moans became more frequent as Thalia picked up the pace a little, using every side of their tongue, changing up the rhythm and techniques, but it was never out of control. They knew exactly what they were doing and how to drive Reyna crazy.

It took the insertion of one finger for Reyna to arch her back off the mattress, her fists clenching tightly.

"Fuck, Thal..."

Thalia turned their eyes up to meet her gaze, but they found Reyna's eyes hidden behind her closed lids.

That wouldn't do.

Thalia pulled their mouth away, licking their swollen lips. "Open your eyes," they ordered, their voice thick. "And keep them open." They wanted Reyna to watch herself being unraveled so easily.

Reyna slowly opened her eyes and Thalia pushed their finger further inside, watching as her face contorted in pleasure.

"Shit," Reyna whispered, biting down on her lower lip hard. The wood creaked as she pulled at the restraints and Thalia simply shook their head, their smirk growing.

Thalia worshiped Reyna's hips and her lower abdomen with their mouth as their finger worshipped her pussy. They pulled their middle finger out only to thrust it in again, accompanied by their ring finger this time and Reyna pushed her hips off the mattress, cursing in Spanish.

Thalia moved their mouth back down, sucking on Reyna's clit as their fingers moved expertly inside her, brushing over her spongy, sensitive spot, and sliding back out, only to thrust back in deeper. Reyna's walls clenched around Thalia's fingers, listening to the creaking of the leather belt and the wooden bed frame mixing in with Reyna's loud whimpers.

It must have been driving Reyna crazy, having to watch Thalia bring her to the edge, using their tongue to tease her without being able to use her hands to tangle her fingers through the strands and pull Thalia's head closer, to tug at their hair. She had to use her words.

Thalia knew Reyna was close to the edge. So, naturally, they slowed down their pace, edging her impossibly close without ever giving her sweet release. Reyna wasn't going to give in so easily, and Thalia could tell from the way in which she was pulling at the belt tied around her wrists. So Thalia pulled their fingers out and sat up just a little to get a better view of Reyna's face.

Reyna's eyes were half-open, like crescent moons, her lips slightly parted. And as Thalia brushed their slick fingertip over Reyna's overly sensitive clitoris, they watched as her face twisted, fighting to keep her eyes open at the sensation of pleasure.

"Thalia..." she warned, though she really was in no position to do so which made Thalia chuckle and flick her clit again. " _Please,"_ Reyna muttered, meeting Thalia's amused gaze with dark eyes of her own. Fuck, she looked so good, Thalia could feel their own walls clenching at just the sight of Reyna in that exact moment. Her forehead beaded with sweat, her chest rising and falling unsteadily, her pupils dilated in arousal, lips red and plump from biting them so hard...

"Use your words," Thalia murmured encouragingly, kissing her thigh softly.

Reyna took in a deep breath, closing her eyes for a second as Thalia started circling the pad of their finger over her folds. " _Please,_ stop fucking playing around and fuck me properly," she snapped through gritted teeth and Thalia couldn't help but laugh at her demands.

But still, they gave her what she wanted. Thalia traced their fingers back down to Reyna's opening and pushed them inside as deep as they would go, and Reyna clenched her jaw tightly, pushing her back off the bed. Her toes curled into the comforter as Thalia fucked her harder, letting out a series of throaty moans and incomprehensible curses.

Thalia moved their tongue back over to her clit and flicked it once.

"Ah, _chinga_ ", Reyna breathed out, pulling harder at the belt. "Fuck, right there. Right—" She lifted her waist up as Thalia brushed over just the right spot. They pressed in against it again with enough pressure to have Reyna shaking under them. "Right there," she moaned, thrusting her pelvis up into Thalia's long fingers.

Thalia wrapped their other arm around Reyna's leg and pulled it up over their shoulder, pushing it further apart from her other leg as they used their tongue to accompany their fingers.

Thalia could tell Reyna was so close, but she was trying to hold on for as long as possible. Her stomach was flipping and her walls were clenching tightly around Thalia's fingers.

They nuzzled their nose into the back of Reyna's thigh, pressing soft kisses into her skin.

"You can come, baby," they murmured softly, using their free hand to caress Reyna's skin delicately. "Come for me, Reyna."

"Fuck," Reyna stammered, letting out a string of stuttered curse words. Her legs were writhing, her wrists tugging at the bonds hard. With just another thrust of their fingers, Thalia watched as Reyna's face contorted, her brows knitting and her mouth falling open in that adorably hot way it always did when she climaxed.

And she came down hard, her legs shivering, whimpering as her body convulsed with the waves of pleasure that swirled through her. Thalia murmured encouraging words into her skin, their fingers moving more sloppily now but they didn't pull them out until Reyna was lying back down on her back, her body as still as it could be. Which wasn't still at all, considering how hard she was breathing and her legs were still shaking.

* * *

Thalia finally pushed themselves up, holding their weight up over Reyna's body. They watched her face with a small smile on their own, Reyna's breath fanning over them. It took her a few seconds to open her eyes and meet Thalia's gaze.

Thalia leaned in instantly, capturing Reyna's lips in a deep kiss. Reyna kissed them back just as fervently, tasting herself in Thalia's mouth. But she pulled back shortly after, still trying to catch her breath. Thalia smiled, leaning their forehead against Reyna's.

"Have I ever told you that you look like a literal goddess?" They mused, watching in amusement as Reyna's already pink cheeks turned a much deeper shade.

"I believe you have, yes," Reyna murmured, clearing her throat softly.

Thalia grinned lazily, moving to sit beside Reyna. They stared at each other for a few moments, Thalia beaming like an idiot down at Reyna, and Reyna looking at them with her brows slightly furrowed, her breathing finally starting to slow down.

"What?" Thalia asked her in confusion and Reyna only shook her hands, which were still restrained tightly.

"I think my arms fell asleep," she chuckled and Thalia let out a soft laugh, reaching up to start undoing the bonds. It took them a few seconds until Reyna's hands were finally free.

Thalia set the belt aside and took Reyna's hands in theirs, gently rubbing her wrists which were deeply red. They wouldn't bruise, Thalia noted in relief. They pulled Reyna's hands up to their lips and kissed each one of her wrists softly.

"I love you," they mumbled into Reyna's palms, brushing their lips against the soft skin. Reyna cupped Thalia's cheeks in her newly free hands and pulled them in closer until their noses were touching.

"I love you so much, mi cielo," Reyna whispered, her lips moving against Thalia's. "Por siempre y para siempre."

_Forever and always._

Thalia cracked a smile. "That last bit sounded serious," they murmured in response and Reyna chuckled, nodding softly as she smiled back.

"It was," she confirmed and pulled Thalia in for a searing kiss. Thalia closed their eyes, letting Reyna take control for a few moments at least. She earned it. But what they didn't expect was Reyna taking complete control, pushing them back against the mattress until she was on top, gently, of course, so as to not hurt them.

"You're still dressed," Reyna pointed out the obvious, her hands finding their way under Thalia's t-shirt. "I'm not sure I like that," she smirked, pecking the corner of Thalia's mouth.

"Then, undress me," Thalia countered with a smirk of their own, holding their arms up in the air.

Reyna grinned delightfully and pulled the t-shirt over Thalia's head in one swift motion.

Reyna leaned back over them, their bare chests pressed against each other and Thalia wrapped their arms around Reyna's waist lazily. They didn't really mind letting Reyna work her magic on them, because she was _good_ and it felt amazing. God, they were the luckiest person on earth.

***

Reyna could feel herself slipping into a deep sleep, the mattress swallowing her body like a cloud, the blankets hugging her like a giant, fluffy marshmallow. She couldn't wait to finally catch up on all the sleep she had lost studying for the stupid finals after having spent way too many all-nighters and losing too many brain cells, most of her sanity, and her will to live which was barely even there, to begin with. At least, moments with Thalia like those from earlier helped a lot. Her last exam was in the morning at 8 a.m. In exactly five hours. Thank god it was remote.

All she needed was a good night's sleep; well, it was too late for that. But four hours was enough and she could have a well-earned nap right after.

It didn't seem like she was going to be getting any of that.

"Why do they call him Bigfoot?"

Reyna resisted the urge to let out a loud groan.

"I don't know," she sighed, keeping her eyes closed.

"I mean, think about it!" Thalia flipped around so that they were leaning on their side, facing Reyna's back. They put a hand on Reyna's shoulder, gently pushing her down onto her back so that they could look at her face. Reyna peaked up at them, opening just one eye, but she made sure to add a deadly glare. Thalia didn't really seem to care much.

"First of all, he's got two feet, not just one giant foot! He should be called Big _Feet_!

Reyna opened both her eyes, meeting Thalia's wild gaze, their pupils dilated more so than usual. 

"Thal—"

"No, seriously! And second of all, he's huge, right? Like— his whole body's ginormous! So really, he should be called _Big._ Just Big!"

Reyna stared at them dumbfounded. She genuinely had no words. "I— okay, you may have a point there."

"Thank you!" Thalia flopped back against their pillow, resting their hands under their head. "Who do you think I'd have to email to file a complaint?"

"Probably someone in the Middle Ages," Reyna muttered in response, rubbing her tired eyes with the back of her hand. She yawned softly, turning to her side to face Thalia.

As annoying as they were being, she still enjoyed falling asleep while cuddling them. Plus, her feet were cold. Thalia didn't complain when Reyna wrapped her arms around her waist, but as soon as her freezing bare feet touched their legs, they let out a loud yelp, squirming away until they had almost fallen off the edge of the bed, which would have been completely disastrous considering their injuries.

"YOU HAVE FEET-CICLES!" They cried out and Reyna couldn't help but laugh loudly at their choice of words.

"Sorry!" She grinned sheepishly as Thalia settled back next to her, pouting a little.

"The legend of Feetcicle! Some people say if you get close enough, they can turn you into an ice sculpture so cold that even molten lava couldn't melt it!"

Reyna rolled her eyes, poking Thalia's side and making them squirm away from her touch once again. "Nerd," she muttered under her breath. She finally closed her eyes again, hoping Thalia would take the hint and settle down for the night.

"Do you think I can start a petition for the whole Bigfoot thing?"

Reyna exhaled harshly through her nose. "Probably. Now, can I please get some sleep? It's like almost three a.m."

"Fine," Thalia let out a disappointed sigh, pushing themselves under the covers and letting Reyna curl up to their side. "Bonne night."

"It's _nuit_."

" _I know_!"

Reyna cracked a small smirk, pretty certain that Thalia had absolutely no idea, but she remained quiet, letting herself be lulled back to sweet, blissful sleep.

Of course, though, as soon as Reyna felt her entire body and all her muscles relax about ten minutes later, ready to slip into slumber, Thalia had to speak up again.

"Do you know why Koalas aren't classified as bears?"

Reyna didn't even open a single eye before answering through gritted teeth in a very serious and tired tone, "because they're marsupials."

She could feel Thalia's eyes boring right into the side of her face. So, that wasn't the answer they were looking for, then?

"' _Because they're marsupials'"_ they mocked Reyna's answer after a few moment of dead silence, their voice somehow reaching a much deeper level. "NO, REY, IT'S BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T HAVE THE FUCKING KOALAFICATIONS!"

Reyna let out a groan this time. She buried her face in her palms, taking in a deep breaths, trying to find reasons not to suffocate Thalia with their own pillow. It was very hard to find any good ones.

"Go to sleep, Thal!" She exhaled in frustration, her voice muffled by her hands.

"I'm gay, I don't need sleep."

Reyna let out an actual desperate sob, flipping around to bury her face into her pillow.

"Hey, Reyna?"

Thalia's voice was so soft, Reyna couldn't have possibly ignored it. She turned around to face Thalia again, her eyebrows furrowed questioningly. It looked serious.

"Do you think that... the fact that dog spelled backwards is god, that means something? Like dogs are basically powerful, all-knowing deities?"

From the tone they were using, Reyna had no idea whatsoever whether Thalia was just fucking with her or being absolutely serious. They weren't smiling though, and there was an actual look of concern on their face.

"I don't know, Thalia, but if you keep me from sleeping any longer, you'll be able to ask god himself in person. Real soon too."

"Huh?"

"Because I'm about to murder you!" Reyna grumbled, grabbing her pillow and hitting Thalia with it right in the face. They let out a muffled _oomph,_ their hands going up to grab the pillow and throw it back at Reyna.

Thalia didn't look guilty for keeping her up and Reyna felt like she was about to commit murder.

Thankfully, Thalia didn't talk anymore for some time and Reyna managed to finally fall asleep. It was dreamless and relaxing, and very, very _short._ Just like Thalia's lifespan, apparently.

Thalia was singing under their breath, still lying down on their side of the bed, their back turned to Reyna. Their phone's bright light was shining over their face with a faint glow, their headphones covering their ears.

They weren't singing, Reyna realized as she was slowly pulled out of her slumber. They were _rapping._ The words were too quiet for her to understand them, but she had heard Nico and Hazel belt them out at the top of their lungs on way too many occasions not to recognize them instantly.

Reyna could make out the words "immigrants," "freedom," "guns," and "Eliza," and when she peeked over Thalia's shoulder, a nasty glare in her eyes, she realized that Thalia was watching the entire Hamilton musical on their phone.

"Thal," she shook them by the shoulder to grab their attention. Thalia jumped in surprise, turning around with their eyes wide. They removed their earphones, staring at Reyna in confusion.

"Huh? What?"

" _Please_ , go to bed!" Reyna begged them.

Thalia pouted, holding their screen up to Reyna's face. Reyna had to squint at the bright glare, scowling deeply at Thalia. She spotted the time at the top of the screen and her scowl only deepened. 4:11 a.m. Jesus Christ.

"But look! Eliza Hamilton's so pretty, okay? Honestly, I don't understand how women are straight. I mean, women are so beautiful and attractive. And men like Alexander are pigs! I genuinely don't understand how some women are attracted to men and not women. Eliza deserved better. I would have treated her so much better."

"Then go treat your precious Eliza better and please let me sleep!"

"But she's dead."

"Great! Follow her!"

Thalia gasped. "That is just— that hurt!"

"Please, Thalia, it's four in the morning! I have a fricken exam in four hours. Please, get some sleep! And let me sleep!"

Thalia pouted, discarding their phone and earphones onto the nightstand next to them. "I can't!"

Reyna let out a heavy breath, shoving her elbow over her face to cover her eyes. "I told you not to drink coffee at ten o'clock in the evening. But did you listen? Of course not!"

"Jeez, sorry, mom!"

Reyna groaned, flopping onto her side to stare at the wall. Thalia was quiet for a moment, but then the weight on the bed shifted as they scooted closer toward Reyna, wrapped their arms around her waist, effectively spooning her. Instinctively, Reyna nestled into their body.

"I'm sorry," Thalia whispered into her ear and pressed a soft kiss onto her cheek.

"I'll forgive you if you let me sleep..."

"Okay, baby," Thalia smiled against her cheek, kissing it one last time before moving their face to nuzzle her neck. She could tell that Thalia was trying their best not to move around too much, even though it was clearly difficult for her to stay so still. They were restless, but they stayed quiet for Reyna's sake so she could actually fall asleep.

But she couldn't, not when Thalia was clearly bothered by something. At first, she thought it was just them being all chaotic and restless. But there was more to it. They hadn't been sleeping well in some time, anyway.

Reyna turned around in Thalia's arms until she was facing them. "What's going on?" She asked them softly.

Thalia frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?"

In the room's darkness, lit only by the faint moonlight glow, Reyna could only see the shadow of Thalia's features. She couldn't exactly see their face, but the exhaustion in their eyes and expression was clear.

"Why are you so restless?"

There was a beat and Thalia shrugged their shoulders, holding up their hands to their face, fumbling absentmindedly with their nose ring. "I can't sleep," they finally answered, their voice restrained.

Reyna reached up and grabbed one of Thalia's hands, holding it between both of hers. "You can't sleep, or... you don't _want_ to sleep?"

She could say Thalia's face turn into a small grimace before they chuckled softly and leaned their chin over Reyna's hands. "Maybe a little bit of both, I think." They sighed. "I don't know."

Reyna nodded in understanding. She let go with one hand and reached up to caress Thalia's hair, freshly cut. She really did like to run her fingers through their hair, and Thalia liked it just as much, even if they did kind of "ban" her from doing so earlier. It was all fun and games.

"What's bothering you, Cielo?" She whispered, moving a loose strand of hair behind their ear.

Thalia shrugged again. "I— don't know... I guess, my leg for starters. It's itchy, all the time. There's currently a pencil in the boot."

"You can literally unbuckle that boot pretty easily, you know," Reyna pointed out.

"We both know how lazy I can get. Besides, the doctor said I shouldn't remove it unless absolutely necessary, so."

Sure, that's totally the reason.

Reyna chuckled softly, brushing the back of Thalia's hand with her thumb. "That's not all though, is it?"

Thalia shook their head. "No, I— well, I'm too irritated to fall asleep, and when I do end up passing out from exhaustion, I've been— I'm not sleeping comfortably. Just, I mean, it's not exactly nightmares, but, they're not exactly nice dreams either, you know...? I can't explain it but, I'm just waking up feeling... _off_."

Reyna was listening carefully. She kind of understood what Thalia was feeling though. It's not something you can put into words. You just have to have felt it before. Reyna was upset with herself for not noticing earlier though. She was too busy trying to juggle between her finals and making sure Thalia didn't accidentally kill themselves trying to get to the bathroom or something, she hadn't paid much attention to _them._ "I'm sorry, baby, I didn't know you were going through that."

"It's okay," Thalia smiled softly, brushing their lips over Reyna's knuckles. "I didn't want to bother you with my problems. But— I don't know I didn't want to stay up alone tonight. And I know, it's not fair to you because you have a final tomorrow. I'm really sorry, I know you need your sleep."

Reyna shook her head. "No, hey, don't apologize. I don't need my sleep. I need you to bother me with your problems. I can always sleep after my exam."

Thalia looked a little guilty but also hopeful that they were going to get Reyna's full attention for the night when they didn't want to be alone. "Are you sure?"

"Of course, now lay it on me!"

Reyna wanted nothing more than to be there for them. Sleep could wait.

"I'll tell you what," she interrupted before Thalia could say anything. She hoisted herself up into a sitting position, pulling the blankets off. "I'm gonna go make us some hot cocoa and then we can sit here all night, and we can talk about this, yeah?"

Thalia's face brightened at the mention of cocoa and it made Reyna a little happier. "Sounds great," they replied softly.

Reyna grabbed them by the face and kissed their lips, softly and chastely, before shuffling out of bed and toward the kitchen.

As she rummaged through the cupboards for the ingredients, Aurum and Argentum came running to the kitchen, though they pretty much looked dead tired. They were both yawning and stretching, but of course, they wanted to be included in anything she ever did. It was endearing.

She smiled softly at them as she waited for the milk to heat up (non-dairy, of course, for Thalia's comfort). They both flopped down by the door, still keeping an eye on Reyna but too tired to really do much else. Reyna laughed softly and turned back around to mix in the chocolate and other ingredients.

She was surprised by the soft taps of Thalia's crutches against the carpeted floor. They came up behind her, resting their chin on her shoulder.

"You didn't have to come all the way over here. I was gonna bring them to bed," she said, craning her neck to the side to get a better look at their face.

Thalia smiled against her neck, pressing a soft kiss at the back. "I wanted to be with you," they replied quietly.

Reyna felt her chest constrict. She turned around and wrapped her arms around Thalia's waist, hugging them close. Thalia's arms instantly closed around Reyna and they buried their face in her shoulder, leaning their weight on her but she didn't mind. She held them close and nuzzled their hair, kissing the top of their head softly.

They stood there, wrapped in each other's arms for a minute or two, Reyna wasn't sure, but Aurum seemed to have gotten jealous because he got up eventually, walked over to them, and started nudging their legs with his snout. Thalia giggled softly as he used his paw to tap them on their cast, demanding attention. Thalia was lucky Reyna was holding them; Aurum was not exactly the most gentle of dogs.

Thalia pulled away and hopped toward the kitchen table. They flopped down on one of the chairs and patted their lap. Aurum instantly ran up to their side, followed by Argentum who had finally woken up and needed just as much affection. Reyna couldn't help herself. She grabbed her phone and snapped a quick picture of Thalia, grinning from ear to ear, with her two dogs fighting for their undivided attention. Unfortunately, she forgot to turn off the flash and Thalia looked up, a little surprised and when they realised what had happened, they pouted.

"Hey— you know I hate pictures," they exclaimed, clicking their tongue in annoyance.

Reyna scoffed, turning back around to turn off the stove. "The thousands of selfies in our chats would like to disagree," she told them while grabbing Thalia's favourite mug with baby Yoda on it, which was their favourite for very obvious reasons, and a simple thrifted powder blue mug for herself.

"That's different. I don't like it when _other people_ take pictures of me."

"Fair enough," Reyna laughed, pouring the hot chocolate into the two mugs. "But it was still a very cute picture and I am totally not sorry."

She turned around just in time to see Thalia rolling their eyes while simultaneously trying to hide their smile. "Whatever, just give me my drink."

Reyna let out a small laugh and grabbed the two mugs. She set them down on the kitchen table and sat down on the seat opposite Thalia's. They sipped their drinks silently for a few minutes, with Thalia still busy with the two hounds running around them and trying to get on their lap as they consistently tried to push them off. They were laughing though, and it warmed Reyna's heart to see them happy. But eventually, the dogs got bored and ran off to play with their toys. Thalia's smile lingered as they leaned forward on the table, resting their chin on their arms.

Reyna reached over and gave their hair a ruffle. Thalia made a complaining noise in their throat but they didn't bother trying to push her hand away.

"I hate my boobs," Thalia said, breaking the silence that had fallen over them.

Reyna slowly set her mug down and sat up, giving Thalia her full attention. "Is it... does this have to do with the injury or...?

Thalia shrugged, tilting their head to the side in thought. "Kinda... I mean, I've always hated the fact that I have breasts. It's part of the dysphoria. And usually, I can just wear my binder when it gets too much, and most days I can get around with just a sports bra because I already have small boobs but, I can't wear them until my ribs heal so I've just been layering but it's too warm in the apartment, so I end up in just a t-shirt and— they're _there_. I can always feel their weight. And it's like I can't— it's like someone's sitting on my chest."

Thalia let out a heavy sigh and let their head drop to the table.

"And the discomfort's not from your ribs, right?"

They shook their head, no. "It's not the fracture. It's the same feeling when I'm having a panic attack but, less. It's like it's building up to that panic attack, slowly, but it's never reaching that point. I'm waiting for the ball to drop but it's not. And— I don't know. It's just making me anxious all the time."

Reyna covered Thalia's hand with hers over the tabletop and gave it a small squeeze. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Thalia cracked a small smile, placing their other hand over Reyna's that was already over theirs. "You're already doing it, love. Just talking to you. And being with you..." their smile turned a little lopsided. "You're an awesome distraction." They winked playfully at her.

Reyna rolled her eyes but she still grinned back. "I'm glad I can help you. But..." she hesitated for a moment, afraid she might be stepping out of line. But in the end, she just wanted the best for them, and she hoped Thalia knew that. "Don't you want to face the problem instead of just, like, distracting yourself from it?"

Thalia's smile dropped a little but they still nodded slowly. Their gaze dropped to their hands and they started playing with Reyna's fingers. "I do... I've always, I don't know. I'm, it's all confusing. My gender identity, my sexuality, it's all so confusing."

Reyna laced her fingers through Thalia's, caressing their knuckled with her thumb. Thalia grabbed their mug with their empty hand, bringing it up to their mouth but they didn't take a sip.

"I know I'm not a girl, and I know I'm not a boy. I'm fine with like, my vagina. But I hate my fricken uterus with a passion, and my breasts. But I know I love boobs. Especially yours," again, they winked at her, trying to lighten up the conversation. Reyna sighed, giving their arm a small pat. "But... I wanna get rid of mine."

Reyna furrowed her eyebrows as she tried to take in Thalia's words. "So... you wanna get—"

"Top surgery? Maybe. I don't know."

Thalia was chewing hard at their bottom lip and Reyna feared they were going to draw blood soon. Their nails were tapping against the side of the mug while their eyes were trained on the shape of baby Yoda.

"Will it help you feel more comfortable?" Reyna asked. "In your body? With who you are?"

Thalia released their bottom lip and ran their tongue along the raw skin, setting the mug back down on the table. "Maybe...? I don't know." Their voice was barely above a whisper. "With my— chest, being out there all the time this past week, I've just been thinking a lot. And I did a lot of research. A lot of it. And, honestly, I don't know what I want, Rey. I'm so lost."

Reyna got up from her seat and walked over to Thalia, leaning against the table right in front of them. She held their face in her hands, making them look up and meet her gaze. Her thumbs brushed over their cheekbones, over their upper lip.

"I can't even begin to imagine how hard this must be, trying to figure it all out. And honestly, I don't know how to help, and I can't really give you any of the answers that you want. They need to come from you. But..." She bent down to their level, leaning her forehead against theirs. "What I do know is that I'll be here to support you no matter what your decision is. You don't have to go through this alone. I want to help you, if you'll let me."

Thalia responded with a sniffle. They let out a small, snotty laugh, and pulled their arm up to wipe their nose and their eyes. "God, this is embarrassing," they muttered, wiping their face furiously.

Reyna cracked a small smile and pushed their hands away so she could cup their cheeks again. "Hey," she whispered.

Thalia met her gaze once again, their blue eyes bright and electric. "I love you," they said, stealing the words right out of Reyna's mouth.

"I love you too," she responded and pressed a tender kiss on their forehead. "What do you need?"

Thalia sniffled again and cleared their throat. "Sleep," they answered with a small chuckle.

Reyna laughed softly, flicking their nose playfully.

"And I think... I think getting surgery might help," they added, their tone much more serious, their anxiousness seeping into their words.

"Okay," Reyna said, nodding along. "Then, we'll start working on it. We'll do more research and find all the best resources on doctors and other people's personal experiences and— what?"

Thalia was looking up at them with a huge, goofy grin on their face. "How are you mine?"

"Huh?"

"I'm literally the luckiest enby on earth. No, scratch that. Luckiest _person_ on earth."

Reyna blushed softly, her lips involuntarily spreading into a smile matching Thalia's. They opened their arms wide and Reyna didn't hesitate before engulfing them in a tight hug.

"Hey," she whispered into their ear. "I'm proud of you."

Thalia's grip on her t-shirt tightened as they moved their face to face her, and Reyna could have sworn she saw a little bit of disbelief on their face before they pulled her in for a long and passionate kiss.

They sat in the kitchen for a moment longer, kissing until their hot chocolate, long forgotten, had turned cold. They moved back to Thalia's bedroom, snuggling under the blankets.

"I think I'll wait till after uni, though," Thalia said softly, their fingers brushing through Reyna's hair as she laid her head on their chest. "Or, at least till the summer break. It just makes more sense. I already have a lot to worry about right now."

"If that's what'll make you happy, babe, of course. Like I said," Reyna replied, meeting Thalia's eyes, craning her neck to look up at them. "I support you no matter what, mi amor."

"I love you so much," Thalia whispered, their lips turning into a small pout.

Reyna smiled up at them, and they leaned all the way down until their lips were brushing against hers. Reyna reached up with her hand and grabbed them by the back of the neck. She kissed them back, tenderly and still passionately.

Thalia finally managed to drift off to sleep right before Reyna had to get up and set up her things for her exam. It was only an hour long, but after submitting, she had to feed her dogs and take them on their morning walk so they won't poop everywhere.

She didn't come back to bed until ten o'clock in the morning, but Thalia was still fast asleep, hugging their pillow close. She smiled endearingly and slipped back into bed next to them. Thalia instantly turned to her side, still fast asleep. She hugged them close, nuzzled their shoulder, and finally closed her eyes.

Even after essentially spending an all-nighter, it was still the best sleep she had ever gotten.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey everyone!! sorry for the late update... finals' season is upon us :/ anyway I hope you're all doing okay! please enjoy this chapter :)

When Reyna woke up, it was already dark outside. She could hear the soft drizzle of rain hitting the glass window. She wasn't the biggest fan of winter — growing up between San Juan and California did that to a person — but it brought her serenity. She wasn't mad about ruining her sleep schedule.

She rolled over in bed and grabbed her cellphone from under the pillow to check the time: it read 06:42 p.m. She should've asked Thalia to wake her up, much, much earlier but it was too late for that now. She stretched her arms over her head and pulled herself out of bed with a heavy yawn.

She grabbed a hoodie from the back of her desk chair, one she recognised from Thalia's closet, and slipped it on, too lazy to bother pulling down the hood from covering her hair.

Reyna stuffed her hands into the sweater's pocket and stepped out into the hall. She heard one of Thalia's records playing softly from the living room, recognising the song as Fleetwood Mac's _Dreams._ With yet another yawn, she padded over to the living space where she found Thalia sitting with their back turned to her at the small dining table in the kitchen.

Thalia was singing quietly under their breath, focused on a small square canvas on the table in front of them. They dipped their paintbrush into some blue paint on their palette, looking up to their phone in front of them and they let out a small laugh.

"Is blue my favourite colour? Dude— I mean, it's a pretty cool one, my eyes are a very _sexy_ shade of blue." Reyna rolled her eyes at them, smirking amusedly. So, they were talking to strangers on a livestream. She could definitely have a little fun with them. "But have you seen me? Have you seen the way I dress? I'd get up and show you my underwear but my leg's in a cast, and my account would probably be banned, and also I don't know if some of y'all are minors, and you should just know that it's black."

In their defence, they definitely made a very valid point. Thalia only really owned black clothes. All their underwear without a single exception were black. The only other colours they owned were some white t-shirts and black shirts that had colours on them. Though, they did sometimes steal colourful sweaters from Percy and Jason's closets, and more recently, Reyna's.

" _So it's black?"_ Thalia read a comment out loud and then let out another small laugh. "No, actually. Not anymore."

Well, this was news to Reyna.

"It's actually purple," Thalia said softly and returned to painting their small canvas.

"That's my favourite colour, thief," Reyna exclaimed, making Thalia jump up in surprise.

She walked up behind them, smiling with a small blush at Thalia's revelation.

"I know," Thalia replied with a small beam. "And you have to stop being so quiet all the time, jesus christ. You're gonna give me a heart attack one of these days."

"It's all the burgers and cup noodles you eat that are gonna give you a heart attack actually if the smoking doesn't get you first," Reyna responded, looking at them in the camera reflection on Thalia's phone screen. The comments were going crazy, trying to figure out who the newcomer crashing this livestream and talking shit about Thalia was.

"I can really feel the love, Rey," they said monotonously, grabbing their paintbrush to go over their painting again.

"Don't call me Rey," she replied though that nickname had stopped bothering her after Thalia had continuously insisted on using it. It kinda grew on her, though she would never admit it.

Reyna turned around to make herself some coffee, but not before ruffling Thalia's hair and getting an annoyed grunt from them. She chuckled, escaping toward the counter just as Thalia reached out to smack her hand. They, unfortunately, got her ass.

"Hey— there are literally like a thousand people watching this right now!" Reyna snapped, even though she knew Thalia wasn't initially going for her butt.

"Wasn't on purpose!" They exclaimed with a small sheepish grin. But Reyna knew the look on their face better than anyone. They were really unapologetic about that accident. "And besides, it's only two hundred viewers."

"I hope you get banned!" Reyna told them jokingly, grabbing the bag of ground coffee and scooping some into the coffee machine's filter. She barely managed to press the ON button when a hand wrapped around her wrist and pulled her back. "Thalia— hey," she laughed, trying to release herself from their grip but they wouldn't let go.

"Take it back!" They demanded, pulling harder until she stumbled forward and fell into their lap. "Oof!"

"Shit, is your leg okay?" She asked, genuinely concerned even though she couldn't stop herself from laughing.

"My leg's fine, now take it back!" They insisted and Reyna rolled her eyes, wrapping her arms around their shoulders and shifting in their lap until she was sitting more comfortably without crushing them.

"Make me," she replied with a raised eyebrow, egging them on.

Thalia's lips parted a little in surprise. They wrapped their arms around Reyna's waist, their fingers digging into her sides as a small smirk painted their face and a chuckle of disbelief escaped their lips. "No, you're not gonna trick me into getting banned."

Reyna shook with laughter, knowing that even if Thalia wasn't going to do anything about it for now, they _really_ wanted to. Her work here was done. She settled her chin on their shoulder and nuzzled their neck, smiling brightly to herself. "Suit yourself," she sighed in exaggeration and kissed their jaw softly.

Thalia chuckled softly under their breath, leaning back over the dining table and going back to their painting.

"Everyone wants to know if we're dating," Thalia said in a laughing voice, reading through the many comments that were coming in.

Reyna sat up straighter to look at the screen and try to read them along.

_OMG? WAIT THEYRE SO CUTE_

_HOLD ON SKDJSKS_

_ARE U GUYS DATING IM CRYINF_

_IM SO JEALOUS WTF_

_wait is no one gonna comment on how they said make me and my fanfic reading ass imagined— im not gonna say it_

_wait who is she_

_she's so pretty_

_i have finally seen two pretty best friends_

_is that the roommate ur always talking about? i thought yall hated each other_ 😳

Reyna gasped at that last one, smacking Thalia's shoulder. "You talk about me in your videos?"

Thalia shrugged nonchalantly, still dragging their paintbrush over the canvas. "I thought you knew? Don't you watch my tiktoks?"

"No, I have better things to do with my life," Reyna replied matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, me," Thalia answered automatically, making Reyna roll her eyes and drag her ass out of their lap.

"Shut up," she laughed, ruffling their hair again, but just before she let go, she pulled their head up toward her and pressed a small kiss to their forehead. Thalia grinned boyishly at her before going back to their work and she went to pour herself some coffee.

"To answer everyone's questions," Thalia spoke to the camera. "We're not dating. I'm straight."

Reyna snorted so hard, she almost spilt the burning hot drink over her hand.

"I can like, do advanced maths, and parallel park," Thalia continued while Reyna sat down on the chair next to them. "Reyna's totally gay though. Look at her. Sweater and sweatpants and everything."

"I'm wearing your hoodie, idiot," Reyna mumbled over her mug before taking a sip.

Thalia hissed at her. "Don't expose me!" they whisper-shouted. And then, in their normal voice, "Don't believe a word she says guys, I'm totally straight. Harry Styles? Love that guy."

"You do love that guy," Reyna continued, her eyes dancing gleefully.

Thalia sighed heavily, turned to face her, poked her on the cheek with the paintbrush, which was cold as hell by the way, and went back to painting.

"Dios mío, you're insufferable," Reyna laughed softly, grabbing a Kleenex to wipe the blue paint off her cheek.

"But you love me anyway, so," Thalia told her with their usual cocky grin.

"Not right now, no," she teased them, throwing the tissue paper at them and taking another sip of her coffee.

" _Not right now, no,"_ Thalia repeated her words in a mocking tone, very childishly.

Reyna still smiled, leaning her head against their shoulder and watched them paint what looked like a sunset. They occasionally read out the comments that people were sending in, which were now mostly questions about their relationship. Reyna didn't mind them being open pretty much. And man, some of these people cared a lot about their private matters for some reason. But most of the pretty intimate questions were ignored.

"Did you sleep okay, by the way?" Reyna asked Thalia softly, thinking back to the night they had. 

Thalia smiled down at her and brushed their lips over the top of her head in a kiss. "I did, thank you. How did your exam go?"

"Killed it, then it pretty much killed me."

Thalia chuckled, leaving the paintbrush in a cup of dirty paint water and grabbing a much thinner one. "You were passed out dead earlier! Annabeth came by, she was all over the place. But I swear you didn't even stir."

Reyna groaned, burying her face in her hands. "God, I screwed up my sleeping schedule pretty bad."

"It's okay, you needed your sleep," Thalia reassured her softly, taking her hand in theirs and squeezing it softly. "And it was my fault you stayed up all night, anyway."

Reyna dropped her other hand from her face to look at Thalia with a serious expression on her face. "No, it's not. I wanted to stay up with you."

There seemed to be a lot more that Thalia wanted to say, but not when a lot of people were technically watching.

"You got to hear my awesome rendition of Hamilton," they finally said, grinning toothily.

"You can't rap to save your life, baby."

Thalia pouted hard. "Ow, you really wound me!"

"Sorry," Reyna grinned, kissing their temple before pushing her chair back and getting up. "Do you want anything to eat?"

"Are you cooking?"

Reyna thought about it for a second before coming to the conclusion that she was too tired and really couldn't be bothered to stand over the stove and make an entire meal. "Nah, probably ordering."

Thalia instantly turned to their phone, an excited grin on their face. "Gang, what should we eat?" 

Reyna saw a bunch of comments come flooding in, most of which were names of fast-food restaurants that delivered food during this pandemic.

"Everyone's saying pizza," Thalia said, leaning over to read the words closely. "Or Chinese."

"Pizza sounds great," Reyna decided, refilling her cup of coffee with some more from the pot. And then after a thought, she added, "under the condition that for ONCE in your life, you take goddamn Lactaid pill. I literally cannot handle another clogged toilet."

Thalia sniggered under their breath, brushing their hand back through their hair to push it away from their face.

"Love you too, _babycakes_ ," Thalia replied, wearing their shit-eating grin proudly.

Reyna wrinkled her nose in distaste, shaking her head profusely. "Nu-uh, don't call me that. It's worse than _Rey-Rey."_

She knew she would regret it as soon as she said it when Thalia's eyes turned wild and evil. God...

 _"Love you too, Rey-Rey,"_ they repeated themselves, changing the pet-name instead and Reyna tried to turn her gaze icy, but it was getting harder and harder to do so when Thalia looked so adorable. She hated catching feelings so much. It made her soft and... _mushy._ Yuck.

"Alright, I'm going to sit over there, with our dogs, who are so much nicer to me!" She grabbed her second cup of coffee, already storming off toward the couch in the living room that was occupied by two napping giant hounds.

Right before she sat down, it hit her. Her words came rushing to her, ringing in her ears. She slowly turned around to find Thalia staring at her with their eyes wide and their mouth agape. They fumbled for their phone, hurriedly ending the livestream before giving Reyna their undivided attention.

"You just said— you called them... _our dogs..."_ Thalia breathed out, pulling themselves up to their feet, well, foot. They held on to the back of their chair to keep their weight off their cast, still trying to process Reyna's words.

She was trying to process her own words as well. She hadn't even realised that she was going to say the words until after she had said them. She didn't even know when everything became so jumbled, and the boundary lines between what was essentially hers and what was Thalia's started to blur. But, she also realised that she was okay. She was definitely comfortable with what she had just said.

Aurum and Argentum were for the longest time the most important part of her life. For the last four years that she had had them, they had been the only constant in her life. She cared about them more than her own self. They were her rock.

She had a new rock to lean on now, though. She hadn't realised but in the past year living with Thalia, they had wormed their way into her heart, almost becoming part of her. And she didn't mind letting them be just as a big a part of her dog's lives as her. The dogs loved them, and she was so sure they would protect Thalia the same way they would protect her (sometimes, she feared they might like them more because they tended to sneak in some treats they definitely did not earn but totally deserve).

And calling Aurum and Argentum _their_ dogs just seemed right.

"Yeah... I guess I did," she murmured quietly in response, rubbing her forearm with her other hand.

Thalia reached for their crutches leaning against the side of the table and started hopping toward her as fast as they could. They stopped just a few inches away and met Reyna's gaze, their eyes still wide in shock, strikingly blue. It always surprised Reyna how easily she could still get lost in them even after all this time.

"But they're your babies," Thalia murmured.

Reyna found herself smiling, holding Thalia by the waist and pulling them closer to her. "They are. But they're also like your step-babies."

Thalia let out a soft, wholehearted laugh, grabbing Reyna by the face. "I do really love these guys, maybe as much as I love you."

Reyna smiled wider, brushing her thumb over Thalia's side. "How much?"

"A lot," Thalia whispered, moving in closer, their nose bumping into Reyna's.

"Really?"

"Mhm..." Thalia tilted Reyna's head back and caught her lips in a sweet kiss.

"I love you, too," Reyna murmured into their kiss, tangling her fingers into their hair.

"I know."

Reyna rolled her eyes at Thalia's cocky response and instead fell back onto the couch, pulling them down with her, almost crushing both dogs in the process. Aurum and Argentum both instantly got up, howling in excitement.

"Oh, god," Thalia grunted as Argentum set his front paws on their back, almost crushing both Thalia and Reyna who was under them. "This was not one of your smartest ideas."

"No," Reyna agreed, snickering to herself. "But I do not regret it one single bit." She grinned toothily up at Thalia and pecked their lips quickly before rolling out from under them and landing on the floor. "I'm gonna order pizza."

Thalia laughed, shaking their head at her as they carefully pulled themselves into a sitting position after getting Argentum to get up. "Pepperoni for me," they called after her as she went to find her phone. "Oh— no, wait, barbecue chicken."

Thalia went back to their painting in the kitchen as Reyna ordered the pizza and waited for it to get here in the living room, catching up on some quality time with the two hounds. She hadn't had time in a few weeks to just sit on the carpet with them and play with them. They cared more for belly rubs though, rolling onto their backs on each of her sides, and demanding for her to scratch their bellies for them. It was honestly the cutest thing in the world.

The pizza got here about half an hour later and Reyna sat in the kitchen with Thalia, not wanting them to move around much, what with their leg being broken and everything. They were still painting and had started back their livestream, giving their followers some half-assed excuse about "technical difficulties" or whatever. Everyone knew it was bullshit, but Thalia ignored all those comments.

Reyna sat next to them, reading the comments for entertainment as she ate, but keeping her face out of the frame.

"What's _mother mother_?" Reyna asked as she read over one comment that was specifically asking them both if they listened to Mother Mother. She assumed it was a band of some sort. "Do you listen to them?"

Thalia looked up, a slice of pizza in one hand and paintbrush in the other. "Oh, yeah, of course I do," Thalia chuckled as though it wasn't so obvious, but Reyna honestly had no idea what they were all talking about. "I'm non-binary, so."

"Is it code for something?" She asked through a chuckle, making Thalia aww at her.

"You're so cute," they exclaimed, pressing a greasy kiss on her cheek. "Yeah, I guess. You know how girl in red is code for lesbians? And like sweater weather is code for bisexuals?"

Reyna just blinked at them with a blank expression on her face, taking a bite from the crust of her pizza slice. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Babe, you listen to sweater weather, I listen to girl in red, and mother mother, and—" Thalia stopped when they saw the horribly confused look on her face and burst out laughing. "You're hopeless."

"Okay, no, I got it. It's just weird," Reyna replied after swallowing her bite.

Thalia shrugged their shoulders and went back to painting. "Well... you're not entirely wrong."

Reyna got through another cheesy pizza slice quietly while Thalia tried to multitask between eating, humming along to the record that was still playing, and adding colours to their canvas, but completely ignoring the 186 viewers who were desperately trying to get their attention.

With a small sigh, Reyna reached out with her free hand and grabbed Thalia's phone, holding it in front of her. "Okay, I'm gonna be asking Thalia all your questions because they're being an asshole and ignoring you all."

"I'm not ignoring anyone! They love watching me eat and paint sunsets!" Thalia retaliated, looking up briefly to shoot Reyna a small glare.

"I only do it because I have to, I don't think these guys want to!" But upon reading the comments... well, she might have been wrong. Thalia had accumulated a tiny and weird fanbase of people who apparently enjoyed watching them do nothing. "Thal, what's your Hogwarts house?"

"Pfft, is that even a question?"

"What they mean to say is Slytherin."

"Hey, Rey?"

"Yeah?" She looked up at them expectantly but Thalia wasn't even looking at her, smirking playfully at their art instead.

"May I... slither _in_?"

Reyna shoved their shoulder before she could even stop herself. "What is wrong with you?" She exclaimed partly through a small laugh.

"If you haven't already figured it out," Thalia started, twirling their paintbrush into the cup of water dirty water. "Reyna's a Ravenclaw."

"At least I've got brains," she muttered under her breath but of course, Thalia heard her and they let out a small gasp, shoving her back with their shoulder.

"Bitch!"

Reyna grinned at them, challenging them to refute her but they didn't, and she ate the rest of her slice of pizza triumphantly.

She turned her attention back to the comments rolling on Thalia's screen, mostly because some of the things people were saying were quite entertaining, and a lot of them were kinda praising her.

"Someone just asked: _what do u eat?_ " She read out the question word for word.

Thalia was quick to respond with, "Reyna," at the same time as she was trying to ask the person, "Do you mean what are we eating right now?"

She slowly turned to face Thalia who was looking up at her with a sheepish smile on their cheeks.

" _Dude!"_ Reyna groaned as Thalia's shoulders started shaking with their silent, stifled laughter.

"Pizza," Thalia said, much clearer this time and directly into the camera, although, everyone had heard their initial reply to the question anyway. "Barbecue chicken and cheese for this lame ass." They pointed their slice in Reyna's general direction, a piece of chicken falling onto the floor.

Before she could pick it up, Argentum had someone zoomed into the kitchen and snatched it up in one quick bite.

"If my dog dies because you're so messy, I'm breaking up with you."

"I thought it was _our_ dog," Thalia retaliated, not-so-subtly trying to sneak him another piece of chicken.

"Not when you're trying to poison him!" Reyna exclaimed, trying to smack their hand away. "It's really bad for them, Thalia. I'm not cleaning up their diarrhoea!"

"Fine, I'll clean it. But LOOK AT HIS FACE!"

Thalia snatched up their phone, flipped the camera, and pointed it at Argentum's face. Naturally, by that point, Aurum had walked in to get in on the action, wagging his tail as he expected to be fed some forbidden heavenly barbecue chicken.

"Look at these babies!" Thalia exclaimed, using their other hand to rub their heads and showing them off to their viewers.

They settled their phone back onto the table, leaning it against the box of tissues so that it would stay up. " _They're such good doggos_ — Right? And Reyna expects me not to feed them? She's heartless!"

"I'm not heartless," Reyna muttered with a roll of her eyes. "I'm trying to keep them alive."

"Whatever, pft," Thalia huffed childishly, ignoring Reyna and focusing on their fans. "Aight— I don't think I can do a tattoo tour like you're asking cos— I can't get up, and some of them are in places that... yeah, I can't show you all of my tats but," they held our their hands in front of the camera showing the couple that decorated their fingers, hand, and wrists. "There's these and—," they pulled up the sleeves of their t-shirt to their elbows, showing the rest of their arms. "This bunch..." They pointed at the small lightning bolt as a reference to David Bowie on their inner arm. "That was my first one, actually. Kinda stole my sister's ID to get it."

" _Rebel, Rebel,"_ Reyna joked in a sing-song voice to the melody of Bowie's song.

Thalia laughed softly, flicking Reyna's arm playfully. "That was actually my favourite song for a while."

"You still listen to it religiously," Reyna pointed out. "Especially in the shower! Gosh."

"Hey— okay, I thought we were done exposing me?"

Reyna grinned at them teasingly. "Never! Which one's your favourite?"

"Oh, easy, this one!" They managed to roll their sleeve all the way up to their shoulder, exposing more tattoos. They traced the shape of the flying sky bison from Avatar: The Last Airbender. "Appa!"

"It is a cute one," Reyna agreed, but then contorted her face in thought. "But... not my favourite." 

"Which one's your favourite?" Thalia asked her in interest, already rolling their sleeves back down. They had already figured out that it wasn't going to be from the ones in an appropriate location.

"It's a tie," Reyna told them, "between the arrow..."

"Which one?"

Reyna gave them a knowing look and then trailed her finger down her chest. "Sternum."

Thalia's eyes widened a little and their lips turned up in a smirk. "Yeah? And what's the second one?"

Reyna scooted closer to their side, reaching behind them with her hand. She trailed her fingers right under the hem of their t-shirt and up their spine, tracing blindly over the pine tree inked between the large floral pattern, the image perfectly printed in her memory.

"That one," she murmured into their ear, smirking to herself as Thalia tried to suppress a shiver.

"Your hands are cold," they managed to say, letting out a heavy breath through their nose. Thalia sat up straight, causing Reyna's hand to drop back down, and cleared their throat rather loudly. Reyna reached around them, settling her hand on their waist and pulling them closer.

"Lo siento, Cielo."

"Anyway!" Thalia shoved the rest of their pizza slice in their mouth which made Reyna laugh. She got up and went to get herself a drink as Thalia moved on, trying to act like nothing happened. Hopefully, no one really noticed their reaction to Reyna's simple touch.

"I finished my painting, by the way!" Thalia announced, still chewing on their food. Reyna rolled her eyes though, she couldn't help but watch them fondly as she returned with two cold cans of soda and placed them on the table. Thalia smiled at her gratefully while fumbling to hold up their canvas without touching the wet paint. "It's a pretty sunset, with two birds. Because birds are pretty. What should I name them?"

Reyna leaned over Thalia's shoulder to get a better look at the painting only for her to raise an eyebrow in surprise. "The one on the right looks suspiciously like me."

Thalia hesitated for a moment, taking a second to turn the painting around so they could inspect it carefully. "You... might be right. What the hell?"

"God, you're so obsessed with me!"

"Duh," Thalia easily responded and Reyna was slightly taken aback. She tried to hide her blush by grabbing another pizza slice and taking a relatively large bite. Thalia didn't seem to notice, or comment on it thankfully. "Why do y'all wanna know if we're dating so bad?"

"We're roommates," Reyna said after swallowing the food.

"Yep. Two straight roommates... they might kiss!"

Naturally, Reyna pushed her chair as far away as possible until she was out of the frame. Thalia turned to face her, eyes blinking in actual shock and confusion.

And then, they turned back to their phone. "Huh...that has never happened before."

"There's like— a hundred people watching!" Reyna exclaimed as she slowly dragged her chair back to its original position.

"No, you just like breaking my heart!"

Oh, they loved the drama. "Just get back to answering these weirdly detailed questions!"

Thalia chuckled, their blue eyes dancing amusedly as they leaned in closer to their screen. "This guy with a very inappropriate user wants to know how lesbians do the dirty," Thalia read out, shaking their head in disbelief. "Buddy..."

"Well, first of all," Reyna started, and Thalia looked at her weirdly, not having expected her to humour the guy and give him the benefit of the doubt because, well, he's clearly not asking out of pure interest. "We hold hands. And then we stare at each other and eat rainbow jelly beans while listening to Cherry Wine by Hozier on repeat."

Thalia snorted so hard they almost choked on their food. They fell into a fit of laughter, throwing their head back and having to smack their chest with their fist to avoid suffocating.

Reyna grinned at them, feeling a rush of warmth at how adorable and happy Thalia looked. "And second of all, both parties actually have fun and, uh, get to finish, as opposed to only 50 percent."

Thalia slammed their fist onto the table, making Reyna jump a little in surprise, but they were still laughing hysterically. "Boom! Lawyered!"

Reyna tried to keep up with the many comments that came flooding in, boosting her ego pretty high. It probably wasn't one of her finest moments but, well, it was still fun.

The rest of the evening went by pretty smoothly. They finished their meal, answered a bunch of other questions, and made jokes about others before Thalia finally ended the livestream. It was already around nine in the evening and Reyna had way too much energy in her. And after a thought, while they were both sitting on the couch, cuddling with the dogs and watching some Parks and Rec reruns, Reyna looked up at Thalia, her back pressed against their chest, and reached up to stroke their chin tenderly.

"Hey," she told them, trying to grab their attention. Thalia looked at her, smiling softly. "Do you wanna hold hands and listen to Hozier?"

Thalia laughed quietly, holding Reyna's cheeks in their hands and leaning down to kiss her fully on the lips for a good ten seconds. "Yeah... I do."

Except that, right after their response, Thalia pushed Reyna away and got up, hopping away on one foot.

"Where are you going?" Reyna asked, turning around whilst still on the couch and watching Thalia disappear down the hall.

"To get the Hozier album!" They called back all the way from their room.

Reyna sighed and jumped off the couch, shuffling over to Thalia's room after them. She found them fumbling through their record collection stacked on a shelf above their desk and walked into the room, closing the door behind her.

Thalia looked up in surprise but went back to their search right after. "I was gonna come back."

"I know," Reyna chuckled, making her way over to them and wrapping her arms around their waist from behind. "But I didn't want you to injure yourself because you left your crutches in there, and, the dogs—"

"Our dogs," Thalia corrected her. Reyna smiled, nuzzling the back of their neck.

" _Our_ dogs," she repeated, "are there. And while they've accidentally seen some weird shit..."

"Right," Thalia chuckled, finally pulling out the record they were looking for: Hozier's self-titled album with Cherry Wine as the last track. "Well, I'm gonna have to go back there to play the record."

Thalia spun around in Reyna's arms but she took it as her opportunity to scoop the album out of their hands.

"That's on you for moving your turntable to the living room. But I'll do it." She pecked their lips quickly and dashed back to the living room before they could complain.

Thalia had shown her how to carefully insert the vinyl without scratching it and setting the needle in place. It required precision, and with a bit of care and attention, she managed to get it done, and the first few scratches and crackles began before she heard the familiar melody of Take Me to Church. She raised the volume so they would still be able to hear it from inside and turned to leave.

She ran her hand affectionately through Aurum and Argentum's fur, tossing them each a bone to keep them busy, and went back to Thalia.

Closing the door after her again, she saw Thalia already lying down on their bed, left arm folded behind their head for support; they still had a bit of trouble lifting their other arm. It was a slow healing process.

Reyna grinned at Thalia who was smirking amusedly, watching her intently.

"You comin', or what?"

"Why, you in a hurry?" Reyna retorted, walking at the most leisurely pace she could manage.

"Okay, tease!" Thalia exclaimed, grabbing a plushie from their bed and hurtling it at Reyna at full speed. She caught it easily in the air and ran up to the bed, landing right next to Thalia, and playfully smacking their shoulder with the plushie.

"Only for you, baby," she said, flipping over to her side so she was partially hovering on top of Thalia.

"Hmm, lucky me," Thalia murmured, their fingers gently holding Reyna's face, pulling her closer.

"Damn straight," Reyna breathed out, brushing her lips over Thalia's.

"Honey," Thalia replied, "There's nothing straight about this."

Reyna laughed softly, kissing Thalia softly before saying, "I thought we were two totally straight roommates."

"They might kiss!"

"They're definitely kissing," Reyna asserted, catching Thalia's bottom lip between hers.

Thalia's hands slipped down to her hips, shifting their weight to pull Reyna on top of them until she was straddling their thighs. Their hand trailed up and down Reyna'a back while she settled hers on their hips, trying not to crush them. Thalia's tongue pushed past her lips, brushing against her own.

"You know, I think I like you better under me," Reyna murmured into the kiss between each breath, smirking against Thalia's lips.

They stilled for a second, shooting Reyna their signature shit-eating grin. "It's not bad," Thalia replied after a thought. "Getting to do none of the work..."

Reyna chuckled, reattaching her lips to Thalia's jaw. "You love doing the work," she spoke right into their ear, pulling their earlobe between her teeth.

She could audibly hear Thalia swallow, letting out a small, shaky chuckle right after. "What can I say? I'm a giver!"

And they were. Thalia was pretty content sometimes giving Reyna all the pleasure in the world and barely receiving any. And god, they were so good at it.

"I love that about you," Reyna told them, trailing her lips down to their neck, leaving a small kiss right beneath their ear.

"Yeah?" Thalia breathed out, their hands moving to Reyna's lower back. "What else?"

"Your stupid jokes," Reyna continued, leaving a small kiss on their neck every couple of words. "They're funny sometimes."

"They're always funny!"

She smirked, shaking her head softly. They weren't always funny, but if Thalia ever laughed, Reyna always laughed along. "I love your laugh," she told them, kissing the middle of their throat. "It's pretty sexy."

"I've heard that before. What else?"

As Thalia spoke, she felt the vibrations on her lips. Reyna rolled her eyes, though she couldn't help but smile subtly.

"I don't like how cocky you always are."

"You love it!"

Reyna didn't give them an answer, choosing instead to use her lips to gently suck on their skin, and in turn, steal their breath away.

"I do love your confidence," Reyna replied instead, grazing her teeth over the spot lightly as she pulled back. "I really love your eyes."

"Really? They're just blue and lame." Thalia grimaced, rolling their eyes up as though trying to see their eyes... with their own eyes.

"They're beautiful!" Reyna disagreed, sitting up to take a better look at Thalia's face. She cupped their cheek with her hand, brushing the contour of their lips with her thumb. "And don't you dare say they're not."

"Fine! They're hot."

"Exactly," Reyna chuckled softly as Thalia puckered their lips and kissed her thumb. "I really love your nose, and the piercing," she continued, their gazes locked, and Thalia was smiling from ear to ear. "The piercing really did it for me when you first got it."

"I kinda got it cos of you. In a way," Thalia murmured, running their thumb over her waist in small circles.

"Wait, what do you mean?" She asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Ah, well, it was the day I walk in on you and douchebag. I was kind of already, uh, really crushing on you," Thalia explained softly, glancing away.

"Oh," Reyna whispered. "I'm sorry."

"Hey! I still won you over, and I've got a hot piercing," Thalia replied enthusiastically, grinning genuinely. "There's nothing to be sorry about."

"No, there is," Reyna sighed, pulling her lip between her teeth for a second. "I think I also knew that I liked you, deep down, but didn't think it would ever work out. I just kind of, ran away. And I hurt you in the process."

"That was months ago, baby," Thalia reassured her, finding her hand and holding it over their chest. "We're way past that, I think."

"Yeah," she breathed out, kissing Thalia's lips softly. "It's in the past."

"I love you," Thalia whispered against her lips, tilting her chin up with their index.

"Te amo, cielo," Reyna replied into their kiss. Thalia's eyes fluttered shut as they deepened the kiss.

Thalia somehow managed to flip them around so they were hovering over Reyna, leaning their weight up on their knees to keep their broken leg safe. They pushed their tongue past her parted lips as warmth settled deep in the pit of Reyna's stomach. Her hands ran under the hem of Thalia's shirt, slowly pushing it upward.

To her surprise, Thalia pulled back abruptly, a small frown settling on their face. They opened their eyes, looking down at Reyna wearing an unreadable expression.

"Is everything okay?" Reyna asked worriedly, sitting up on her elbows.

"Yeah, I just—" Thalia licked their lips, looking down at their hands, and cleared their throat. "I don't, uh, wanna— don't wanna take my shirt off."

"That's okay," Reyna told them softly, caressing their arm reassuringly. "You don't have to if you don't want to."

Thalia nodded their head, tugging their hair back. "I know, thank you."

Thalia's smile never quite reached their eyes, and Reyna knew there was something going on.

The record kept playing in the background, Hozier voice soft and calming as he sang the chorus t Jackie and Wilson, but there was nothing in Thalia's body language that said CALM.

"Do you wanna stop?"

"No, no," Thalia responded immediately, shaking their once. "I'm okay. I promise."

Reyna wasn't convinced but if Thalia didn't want to talk about it, she couldn't force them.

_She's gonna save me, call me baby_   
_run her hands through my hair_   
_she'll know me crazy, soothe me daily_   
_better yet, she wouldn't care_

Thalia gently pushed Reyna back against the mattress and settled down between her legs. They pressed their lips against hers in another kiss, this one slower and much more calculated. None of their kisses have ever been this calculated before. Not even when they were both secretly trying so hard not to fall for one another.

Reyna kissed them back, moving along to their rhythm, letting them lead. She kept her hands at a safe spot, wrapped around their shoulders. But as soon as Reyna's fingers brushed through their hair, a move they usually loved, Thalia pulled away again, shaking their head softly.

"No— I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I don't know why..." they trailed off, letting out a shaky breath. They moved over Reyna, sitting down next to her and pulling their good knee up to their chest to hug it.

Reyna instantly sat up and turned around to face them. "Baby, what's wrong?"

"I don't know!" They cried out frustratedly, tangling their fingers through their hair harder than necessary. "I just need a minute."

"Okay," Reyna murmured, nodding her head understandingly. "Do you need me to get you anything?"

"I'm okay," Thalia mumbled and bent over to lean their forehead over their knee. "Actually, I'm not. I... after last night, I thought I was doing a little better but, I don't know, it just made me think more and," they cut themselves off, letting out a heavy sigh. "I don't like..." they moved their hands, waving them in the air and gesturing around themselves, focusing more on the area around their chest. "All of _this_. I hate it. I mean... somedays, I'm fine with it. But lately, it's been like, this overbearing presence."

Reyna watched them, carefully listening to their every word. She moved closer to them, tentatively placing her hands on theirs.

"I don't know what you're feeling, but, your feelings are valid, Thal," she reassured them in a calm voice. "I hear you. I _see_ you. And I'm here for you. Maybe it's the fact that you can't dress to your comfort right now, or everything else just... accumulating. But whatever it is, you'll get through it. _We_ 'll get through it, together."

Thalia let out a shaky breath, lifting their head up. Their lip quivered but they managed to quirk up in a small, appreciative smile. "I know," they said, "thank you, love,"

Reyna gave their hand a squeeze. "I love you, _all_ of you. No matter what."

"That's the thing!" Thalia cried out suddenly. "I don't want you to love me like this. My body, it's— it makes me feel, I don't know, ashamed? Disgusted, maybe... _disgusting_."

"Thalia—"

"No, Reyna, I don't want you to see me when I'm not the real me. When I'm so—" they let out a throaty grunt and flopped down against the mattress on their back, covering their face with their arm.

"Mi cielo, I know it's hard," Reyna started, keeping her voice soft. "I'm not trying to reduce your feelings. You feel them. They're real, but, baby, there is _nothing_ for you to be ashamed of." Reyna moved again, sitting right by Thalia's head. She took their hand, pulling their arm off their face so she could look them in the eyes.

"Listen to me," she told them. "It's not your fault you were born in a society that has gendered and—and sexualised whatever parts you were born with. You haven't done anything to be ashamed of. But you were born in this world, Thal, and god, you can't even begin to imagine how thankful I am that you were born. Maybe in the wrong body or just the wrong universe, but you're here. And I love you, all of you, and I'm still going to love you just the same if you ever decide to change the cards you were dealt with, and probably even more, actually, because I seem to be falling in love with you harder every day, which doesn't really make sense to me, but then again, it does. Because... it's you. I love you, boobs or no boobs, and I think you're fucking gorgeous. The real you, whoever they are, they're hot as fuck, even if they're not here yet. I support you, baby. I'll always support your every decision, along every step of this confusing journey. I'll be there. and I'll love you no matter what, and I'll remind you of just how proud of you I am. And of course, of how fricken badass Thalia Grace really is."

Thalia's eyes were a little watery when Reyna finished her small rant. Their lip quivered as they pulled themselves back up into a sitting position. "I don't always feel so badass in this body, not without the binder."

"Thalia, I swear on our dogs' lives, you are the bravest and toughest person I know."

"On our dogs' lives?" Thalia asked, quirking up an eyebrow.

"On our dogs' lives," Reyna confirmed, sending them a small smile.

Thalia nodded slowly, running their hands over their face with a bit of applied pressure. "I fucking love you."

Reyna's smile widened. She moved in closer to them until she was sitting between their legs. She grabbed their hands in hers, intertwining their fingers together and kissing each set of knuckles softly. "Let me take care of you, baby."

"Okay," they agreed, giving Reyna's hands a squeeze.

"As long as you're comfortable," Reyna said as clearly as she could.

Thalia smiled at her appreciatively. "I'll let you know if it gets too much."

"Good," Reyna murmured and brushed her lips over their forehead in a tender kiss. "Do you wanna use a safe-word, if that's easier?"

"Grandma."

Reyna blinked at them, a little taken aback and trying her best not to crack a smile or a chuckle like she wanted to so as to not ruin the mood. "You wanna use the word grandma?"

"It'll instantly kill the mood," Thalia explained and this time Reyna laughed softly and nodded in agreement.

"You're not wrong," she told them and pecked their lips quickly. This time, Thalia let go of one of her hands and cupped her cheek to pull her in for a full kiss.

Reyna settled in more comfortably between their legs, resting her hand over the fabric of their shorts on their thighs and leaning into the kiss. It was slow at first, and Reyna was twice as careful with every single one of her moves. She didn't want to treat Thalia like she was walking on a thin sheet of glass but she also didn't want to cross any boundaries.

Thalia's hand moved towards the back of her neck, brushing their fingers through Reyna's ponytail. They let her hair loose, falling in cascades down her back and over her shoulders, hiding them both behind a curtain.

Reyna pulled away only to reattach her lips to their cheek and down the line of their sharp jaw. Thalia seemed to be okay with it, stroking her hair back tenderly. She moved down to their neck once again, going back down the trail she was so familiar with. Going slow and sensual, trying to make this as pleasurable for Thalia as possible. It seemed to be working because as soon as she sucked in the skin at the spot right where their jaw met their neck under their ear, Thalia let out the softest of moans.

Reyna's lips moved lower. She took her time, stopping every few inches, giving special attention to every bit of their neck she could reach all the way to the hem of their collar.

"You can take it off," Thalia whispered into her ear.

"Hm?" Reyna hummed, focused on the dip just above their right collarbone.

"My t-shirt. You can take it off."

Reyna sat up just enough to look Thalia in the eyes. "You sure?"

"I'd do it myself, but my ribs are still fucked," they replied, letting out a small chuckle. It didn't answer her question clearly though, and Reyna needed all the enthusiastic consent she could get.

"Are you sure, Thals?"

Thalia nodded, brushing Reyna's hair behind her ear. "Yes, I'm sure, Rey." Their hand rested on Reyna's cheek for a few seconds and she nuzzled their palm, pressing a small kiss to the inside of their hand.

As Thalia's hand dropped back to their side, Reyna hooked her fingers into the hem of their shirt and started dragging it up their torso carefully until it was over their head and tossed somewhere to the side; Reyna was too focused staring right back into Thalia's eyes to see where it landed.

Reyna leaned back down and she kissed them again, fast but gentle. She moved down their throat, to their chest. She knew Thalia's limits by heart, and she followed the trail she had memorised with her lips, down Thalia's sternum and to their toned abdomen.

Reyna could feel every single deep inhale and heavy exhale as she worshipped Thalia's body, kissing every last bit of skin all the way down to the waistband of Thalia's shorts.

And then, the shorts were off, and Thalia was left in just their briefs. They pulled Reyna all the way back up by her face and caught her lips in a deep kiss, pushing their tongue in as their hands moved to her hips. They kissed, for minutes or hours, Reyna wasn't sure, but she only pulled away for a few seconds at a time to pull her clothes off. And then, they were kissing down, hot and slow and passionate.

Reyna was straddling Thalia's thighs, and Thalia was holding on to her waist with one hand and her ass with the other, and Reyna found herself moving into the curve of their hand and thrusting back forward, rocking back and forth in their lap as she kissed them, fingers pulling gently at their hair.

"You doing okay?" Reyna murmured into their kiss, trailing one of her hands down to Thalia's neck and cupping their cheek lightly.

"I'm not thinking of wrinkly old ladies, so, yes," Thalia responded, their lips curving up into a grin, pecking Reyna's lips again, and then some more.

But Reyna pulled away just a little, wrinkling her nose. "Now I am, though."

Thalia laughed a little, grimacing at the thought. "Did I just kill the mood?"

Reyna thought about it for a moment only to find that she was still very much in the mood. She shook her head, laughing along with Thalia. "Not at all, actually."

Thalia grinned and kissed Reyna again. "You know I'm totally gonna mock you for having an old lady kink, right?"

"I don't," Reyna grumbled in response, tugging just a little harder at Thalia's hair for teasing her, but then again, this was Thalia. She wasn't surprised when that only made them deepen the kiss.

"Still gonna make fun you," Thalia murmured, smirking into their kiss.

"So lucky to be your girlfriend," Reyna muttered sarcastically, though in all honesty, she really did mean it.

"Mhm," Thalia hummed with a soft laugh, running their fingers along Reyna's spine.

And they kissed, again and again until their lips were raw and their lungs were burning. And Reyna didn't stop kissing Thalia's skin, and Thalia didn't stop Reyna as she reached their thighs again. She kissed every ink work, every freckle, even the birthmark just below their hipbone. She kissed the inside of their thighs where she knew it made them squirm with pleasure and gave them extra attention until she had left her own mark and Thalia had let out a soft moan. And she kissed the inside of their knee and their leg and their ankle. And then she kissed their other thigh, all the way down to their knee, just above the cast.

Reyna was careful as she separated their legs and with a single nod of approval from Thalia, she sunk down and followed every hint and every silent instruction they gave her, doing everything she knew they liked, everything she knew would help them come to a high so exquisite their eyes shut and their toes curled, heels digging into the mattress.

And when they finally came back down from their high, Reyna settled down into their side, kissing their shoulder softly and their neck, and nuzzling their cheek. Thalia wrapped an arm around Reyna and she snuggled up close as Thalia buried their face into her hair.

They sat in silence, basking in each other's warmth, and the warmth of their presence both physically and emotionally, stealing occasional glances like high school crushes, and sharing kisses any chance they got.

Reyna's watch beeped quietly, the sound muffled as she had her hand tucked under her pillow. But she heard it and she knew what it meant.

It was midnight, on December 22nd.

"Thal," she whispered, trying to make she wasn't waking them up. Thalia made a small sound, indicating they were still awake, but probably on the verge of falling asleep. Reyna smiled endearingly, lacing her fingers through theirs.

"Happy birthday, mi cielo," she told them and pressed a sweet kiss to their forehead.

Thalia scrunched their nose and opened their eyes to stare right back up into Reyna's, their eyes strikingly blue. "Thank you," they grumbled and closed their eyes back. "I'm old now."

"Twenty isn't old," Reyna laughed softly, brushing Thalia's hair back tenderly. "You can't even drink legally yet."

"We're still getting drunk today," they mumbled sleepily, turning to their side and burying their face into Reyna's chest.

"I don't get drunk," Reyna told them, still smiling widely at them though.

"We'll see," Thalia replied, their lips quirking up though they kept their eyes closed.

Reyna chuckled, shaking her head at them. "Alright, baby."

"Love you, baby-cakes," Thalia was grinning lopsidedly now, knowing how much that nickname irritated Reyna.

She rolled her eyes at them though she couldn't really be mad at them when they looked this cute.

"Love you too, honey-bunch," she countered instead, receiving the exact reaction she expected from Thalia.

They burst out laughing, rolling back over onto their back as they clutched their side while they were in hysterics.

Reyna smiled widely at them. She leaned down and kissed them, completely. Thalia's laughs slowly died out as they kissed her back but neither one of them could stop smiling.

"I have a gift for you," Reyna told them, sitting up straight and smiling widely.

"You didn't have to," Thalia responded, sighing gently and pushing themselves up into a seated position as well.

Reyna knew how Thalia didn't like to make a big deal about their birthday, much like her. But still, she couldn't help herself.

"Don't worry, I only paid like 9.99," she reassured them.

Thalia gasped dramatically. "Damn, I am a cheap date."

Reyna laughed in response. "Pretty cheap, actually. Making you happy only takes like twelve nuggets and potential sex."

"See? Don't you just love how low-maintenance I really am?"

Reyna snorted as she dragged herself out of Thalia's bed.

"What did you get me for only 9.99?"

Reyna held out one finger before dashing out the room. Of course, as soon as she opened the door, the dogs barged in and jumped over Thalia which they didn't mind at all. Reyna went to her closet and pulled a small bag from the very back. She made her way back over to Thalia and sat down at the foot of the bed, the only place still unoccupied thanks to the two giant hounds.

Thalia grabbed the bag hesitantly started opening it excitedly, even though the contents were pretty much unwrapped.

"Aw, it's an enby flag!" Thalia exclaimed, grinning widely as they pulled out the flag and started unfolding it. It was yellow, white, purple, and black, and it was pretty large.

"I thought we could hang it over our bed."

"Our bed?" Thalia asked, looking at Reyna with an eyebrow raided as their hand stilled around the cloth.

"Yeah," she said with a wide, slightly hesitant smile. "I was thinking... since we already mostly just sleep in my room, you could move in there. And then, we can turn this one into your own studio. Make it less cramped. You can have more space to work—"

Thalia cut Reyna off by leaning over Aurum and grabbing her face in their hand, kissing her deeply.

"You're willing to have my messy ass share a room with you?"

"I mean, if you get too annoying, I can just make you sleep on the couch," Reyna told them, smirking like she was excited to try that on them pretty soon.

"So... our place, our bed, our dogs... I'm sensing a pattern here," Thalia said, their lips dancing as they fought back a smile but it was pretty hard.

"It's a pretty nice pattern," Reyna murmured, leaning her forehead against theirs.

"I think so too," Thalia replied, beaming brightly at her before kissing her again. And again. And then again. And then, Aurum jumped up between them, letting out a little bark as he tried to join whatever game he thought they were playing.

Reyna and Thalia pulled apart in a fit of laughter as the two dogs started attacking them with kisses of their own.

Eventually Reyna slipped out of bed again and leaned down to kiss Thalia's forehead.

"I'm gonna go take a shower, if you wanna join."

Thalia held out their hands in response and Reyna rolled her eyes but still complied, helping them up to their feet... well, foot.

"I kinda wanna bake myself a cake," Thalia said as Reyna let them lean their weight on her while stepping into the tub filled up with warm water and bubbles.

"We can make a cake," Reyna agreed, stepping into the bath herself.

"Or maybe we can just sit here for a while," Thalia murmured, wrapping their arms protectively around Reyna as she settled down between their legs.

"Until the water's no longer hot. I don't wanna catch a cold."

Reyna felt Thalia's lips spread into a smile against the skin of her back. "Okay, party pooper," they chuckled, pressing a small kiss to the same spot.

Reyna was sure she could in fact sit here for hours with Thalia, even after the water would run cold.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heyyoooo! So I feel like I should warn you guys this story is *almost* over!!! aaaa but anyway, i hope you enjoy this chapter! 
> 
> i love you guys :) thank you so much for showing this story so much love! it really means the world <3

Thalia could finally stand on both feet without their balance being wobbly. They could even jump on both feet and make it all the way down the street without feeling too tired to continue. In fact, they even made it a point to start going on morning runs with Reyna. (The gym was still a no-go; Reyna liked to do all the stuff that required the most effort, but watching her was always fun!) And they needed the workout to get their strength back after lazying around like a sack of potato for six weeks, and then some. (It took them another couple of weeks of physiotherapy and a small (actually big) push from Reyna to get them off their ass again).

But Reyna was patient and she ran at their leisure pace even though Thalia could tell she was aching to go a lot faster, and a lot further. But that didn't mean she wasn't going to be an annoying little shit to them either.

She had allowed Thalia to gain some speed on her, which they definitely thought was suspicious but didn't pay much attention to it as they blasted Taylor Swift's newest album, Evermore. (What? Taylor Swift has some real bangers.)

What Thalia wasn't expecting ten minutes into their five-mile run was Reyna running up to them and snatching their beanie right off the top of their head, pulling their hair a little in the process. Thalia watched dumbfounded as Reyna sped down the trail, only glancing back for a second to shoot them a mischievous grin and a wink.

With their mouth left hanging open in utter disbelief, Thalia ran after her, trying to keep up with her pace, but Reyna wasn't going to stop so easily.

"Asshole! Come back here!" Thalia yelled after her, putting a lot more effort into their every step. Reyna turned back, laughing almost hysterically before turning back around and diving between the trees to their right. Seriously? Off the running trail?

Thalia let out a frustrated groan and followed her. Reyna made sure she was always in their field of vision but never once letting them get closer than a couple of feet from her and it was driving Thalia insane. Their breathing was already starting to come out in heavy huffs and their muscles were burning.

They had to play it smart. Reyna wasn't going to stop until Thalia would admit defeat, that much was clear already. And Reyna was much more athletic, so Thalia could never win. Not by chasing her around the park. They had to corner her somehow.

As Reyna started running down a hill, moving swiftly between tree trunks, Thalia split to the other side. They slowed down to catch their breathing, but it wasn't a problem because they could still see Reyna in the distance. She had finally noticed that they stopped following her.

Reyna came to a stop and started looking around, trying to catch a glimpse of Thalia but they were well hidden behind the thick trunk of a large pine. It gave them enough time to walk around the tree when she turned her back to look the other way and creep up to her behind the line of trees keeping them hidden from her.

"Thalia...?" Reyna called out, and if Thalia wasn't mistaken, they could hear an undertone of worry in her voice. It was sweet, they felt a tiny bit guilty for scaring her like that... just a tiny bit. She started it by being an asshole and stealing their favourite beanie.

"Thal? Where are—"

Thalia cut her off by jumping out from behind her and wrapping their arms around her. Unfortunately, they took her so incredibly off guard that Reyna let out a scream in surprise, held out her hand defensively but managing to hit them right in the face, and they both fell tumbling down the small hill and came to a stop at the base of another tree, rolled up together as one.

It took them both a second to make sense of what just happened but when Thalia found themselves on top of Reyna, pinning her down to the ground, they grinned triumphantly.

"I win."

"Why did you scare me like that, shithead?" Reyna exclaimed, her face settling into a deep frown. Her hair was sticking to her cheeks, which were very red from all the exertion of trying to tease Thalia.

"Oh, I'm the shithead?" Thalia countered, letting a small gasp. "Where's my beanie, you asshole?" They demanded, holding Reyna by the arms as she held her hands over her head, one of them gripping the hat tightly.

"You can't have it back, now. You literally pushed me down a hill!"

Thalia scoffed and leaned forward, trying to grab the hat but Reyna did her best to keep it out of their reach.

"I didn't push you down the hill, you literally punched me in the face!" Thalia snapped back, straddling her hips as they tried to reach her hand again but with Reyna trying to squirm from under their weight and fight them off, it was a little hard.

"Only because you scared the shit out of me!"

Reyna looked pretty irritated but Thalia knew it had a lot to do with the fact that she was currently pinned to the ground after Thalia had managed to outsmart her than anything else. It was a dignity kind of thing and honestly, it pleased Thalia beyond measure.

They started laughing, softly at first, but then their laughter became louder and it confused Reyna enough to want to smack their shoulder as she still tried to get out from under them. It also gave Thalia enough time to reach up again and make a grab for the beanie. They pulled as hard as they could without ripping the fabric and Reyna finally let go of the beanie. But her hand shot up instantly, slender fingers wrapping around Thalia's wrists.

Thalia tried to wrestle their arms out of Reyna's grip but it was made of steel. There was only one thing they could do at this point. They could see no other choice. So, they leaned down, and they kissed her.

Thalia could _feel_ Reyna rolling her eyes but her grip around their wrists loosened up as she kissed them back. One of her hands trailed up their arm and to the back of their neck while the other found their hand and laced their fingers together.

Thalia smirked against her lips, trailing their tongue along her lips until she gave them access and they pushed it past her parted lips.

It was a slow yet heated kiss and even now, Thalia's heart was still beating at a million miles an hour, and it had absolutely nothing to do with all the running they had just done.

"Asshole," Thalia murmured playfully as they finally pulled away. They sat up, their legs still straddling Reyna's hips.

"Love you too, I guess," Reyna replied with a small grin.

Thalia grinned back and pulled themselves up to their feet, holding one hand out which Reyna took gratefully. They helped her up to her feet and pulled her flush against them, hugging her close.

"I do love you," they told her, kissing her cheek sweetly. They held out the beanie in both hands and slipped it over Reyna's head before she could complain about it, covering her ears and the top of her side-braid adorably.

"Hats look better on you," Reyna commented, scrunching her nose as she rolled her eyes upwards as though trying to see the top of her head which was now covered by the warm grey hat.

"While that is a very true observation you've just made," Thalia replied, beaming at her and poking her nose playfully, "it does look cute on you."

Thalia moved their hands down her arms from her shoulders and leaned in to peck her lips sweetly.

" _D*kes."_

Thalia turned around so fast, it took them a second to focus on the man that was standing a couple of feet away at the top of the small hill, watching them with a very disgusting sneer on his face.

"Excuse me?" They responded, trying to keep their voice as calm as possible, but they could feel their arm tighten protectively around Reyna.

"You heard me," the man chuckled, as though he had just said the wittiest joke in history. Another guy next to him was laughing too and Thalia had to physically restrain themselves from going up there and punching them.

"Hey, c'mon," Reyna murmured, taking their hand in hers. Her jaw was set tightly, eyes glaring holes into the guy, but she still pulled Thalia up the slope, walking ahead of the two harassers.

" _Nah, man, they're not a bunch of fucking lesbians. What are you?"_

Thalia squeezed Reyna's hand, letting her pull them away as their blood started to boil with rage.

"Hey!"

"Just ignore them," Reyna whispered, running her thumb comfortingly over the back of their hand.

" _I'm trying,"_ Thalia muttered through gritted teeth.

"Hey, I'm talking to you!" The guy called out, sounding too angry for Thalia's comfort.

"What _are_ you?" He kept asking but Thalia did their best to ignore him... until they felt a hand grab them by the shoulder, shoving them lightly.

Thalia turned around, fist balled up at their side, but to their surprise, the guy was on the ground before they could even think of anything to say.

Thalia turned to look at Reyna who had just possibly broken the guy's nose... with just a single punch.

"Trust me, I've done a lot more damage than that," Reyna said, looking at the guy who had spoken first, moving his gaze back and forth between his friend that was bleeding from his nose on the ground and Reyna, who was eerily calm at that moment. "I would really appreciate it if you left us alone."

The guy rushed to help his friend up to his feet while he groaned in pain, covering his face with his hands.

" _What the fuck, you freaks!"_

Thalia watched in a stupor and let themselves be dragged by Reyna as far away from those assholes as possible. Once they were back on the running trail with a few people around them, Thalia turned to face Reyna, taking her hand in theirs and inspecting it.

"You... you just broke that guy's nose..." Thalia spluttered out, brushing their thumb over her knuckles. They were barely even red.

"I've no idea what came over me, it was just my fight-or-flight responding and—"

"You could've easily broken _my_ nose when I jumped you literally a minute earlier..."

"No, well... maybe. I'm sorry you had to see that, cielo."

Thalia chuckled in disbelief, looking up to meet Reyna's eyes. They were both a little bit shaken up. But Thalia knew one thing for sure and it was that Reyna had absolutely no reason whatsoever to be apologising.

"Are you fucking kidding me right now?" Thalia laughed, still in disbelief and shock. "I think that was the hottest thing I've ever witnessed."

"I forgot, you have the weirdest kinks out there," Reyna chuckled softly, lacing her fingers through Thalia's. They went back to walking down the trail at a comfortable pace.

"Hey, they're not _that_ weird! You're like, into most them," Thalia shot back, noticing Reyna shrugging her shoulders at that. "And let's not forget, that one kink of yours that you practically _begged_ me to—"

"We do NOT speak of that moment. It does not exist. It never happened"

Thalia fought back a smile, holding their hands up defensively. "Fine, fine. I won't mention it. But I'm just saying... you punching the living shit out of a homophobic bastard is such a turn on."

Reyna looked at them in confusion. "I think I literally broke his nose. I'm pretty sure I heard the crack."

"Oh, the crack was there. You heard right. And it was hot as fuck!"

Reyna shook her head at them. "God, you're sadistic."

Thalia jokingly winked in her direction. "Do you want to... go home... and then, jump in the shower and..." they trailed off, their lips spreading into a suggestive smirk in Reyna's direction. 

Reyna slowed down a little to face them, eyebrows raised. "Right now?"

"Right now. I have to get to work in a little over an hour," Thalia explained. Reyna seemed to think it over for a second before finally smiling a little to herself.

"A little over an hour sounds really good right now," Reyna finally replied.

"I'll race you back home!" Thalia told her snd shoved her down with their shoulder as they started running, putting as much effort as possible with their every step.

"Baby, you know you can't beat me!" Reyna called out after them, and when Thalia looked back, she saw that Reyna was only casually jogging at a leisurely pace.

Thalia only turned around and kept running. They had to try.

Reyna was having a lot of fun, chasing after Thalia, even though she seemed to be running pretty comfortably, while Thalia's ankle was already throbbing. Maybe they shouldn't have decided to put in so much effort but they had an ego to protect, which Reyna knew. And of course, she decided to take advantage of that.

As soon as their building was in sight, Reyna started speeding up until she fell into step with Thalia. They glanced at her, almost hyperventilating with their hair sticking to their sweaty forehead and Reyna grinned at them in that annoyingly hot way she always did.

"Hello there," she said, and damn it, she didn't even sound out of breath. So, naturally, Thalia tried to run even faster, despite their sides begging them to stop as they began to hurt.

"Thalia," Reyna called out after then, her voice light and entertained. Thalia pushed themselves until there were only another twenty feet or so between them and the apartment complex.

"Baby, you're gonna hurt yourself," Reyna laughed some more, trying to keep up with them, but she never made any move to get ahead of them. Thalia wasn't sure if they appreciated it or not.

Just before they reached the door, Reyna caught Thalia by the hand and started slowing down, pulling them into her chest.

"Hey, what the hell?" Thalia pouted, turning around to face Reyna who refused to let go of them. 

"Can't let you win," Reyna told them, her black eyes twinkling in the sunlight. The weather was oddly nice for a January morning.

"You were already letting me win on purpose," Thalia huffed out, using their sleeve to wipe the beads of sweat off their face.

"It's the whole hare and tortoise fable thingy," Reyna explained like that made any sense at all.

"Huh? So, you're a turtle?" Thalia asked in confusion which only made Reyna laugh and lean in to kiss their nose.

"God, you're cute. And sweaty. Shower?"

Thalia narrowed their eyes at her suspiciously but a shower with Reyna really did sound nice.

"Fine," they grumbled and Reyna finally released them and let them walk up to the glass doors. "I still win," Thalia called back only for Reyna to laugh in response.

"You're the turtle, by the way," Reyna pointed out as they stood in the elevator, waiting for the doors to close. Thalia was leaning their head against the mirror, trying really hard to slow down their breathing.

"Are you calling me slow?" They exclaimed, a little offended.

"Have you seriously never read The Hare and the Tortoise?"

Thalia just shook their head.

"What did they teach you in American elementary schools?"

"How to bullshit your way through life, I don't know. What's the story and why am I the turtle or tortoise or whatever?" Thalia snapped impatiently.

Reyna pulled out her keys from her coat's pocket and unlocked their apartment door to be greeted by two over-excited giant dogs. 

"There's this race, right? Between a rabbit and a turtle and the rabbit knows he's fast so he decides to sit on the side and take a nap thinking, oh, 'the turtle could never beat me even if she does pass me eventually'. And so, he falls asleep and forgets to wake up and by the time he does, it's too late and the turtle had actually won the race."

Thalia rolled their eyes at Reyna as they kicked off their muddy running shoes by the door. "See, that's what you get for being too confident. You lose!"

Reyna chuckled while leaning down to take the time to untie her shoelaces to take off her shoes and neatly set them aside, unlike Thalia.

"Right, but you can't talk to me about having too much confidence. You have a PhD in cockiness. You're like... Dr. Big Head Grace," Reyna responded, leaning back against the door to close it behind her.

Thalia watched her in disbelief. "So... you just woke up this morning and chose violence, huh?"

"You can't handle the truth, Dr. Too Cocky for Their Own Good?" Reyna retaliated, taking off Thalia's beanie and throwing it at them. Thalia caught it with ease and set it aside on the small shelf in the hall next to the door where Reyna also set down her keys.

"Oh, no, I know I'm cocky. You just can't handle it," Thalia said, closing in on Reyna.

"I can handle you, easy," Reyna murmured back, her eyes flickering from Thalia's eyes to their lips. Thalia smirked, running their tongue over them, leaning in even closer, closing the space between them and Reyna.

"We'll see about that," Thalia whispered and closed the gap between the two of them as they locked lips in a heated kiss without giving Reyna a chance to respond.

She wrapped her arms around their shoulders, fingers tugging at their sweaty hair falling just over the base of their neck.

"You know I love a good challenge," Reyna mouthed into the kiss which made Thalia chuckle and bend down just a little to hoist her up in their arms.

Reyna wrapped her legs around their waist and Thalia easily carried her backward, all the way to the bathroom. God, they missed being able to carry her around the place.

They managed to make it in there safely. Thalia pushed Reyna against the bathroom door and instantly attached their lips to her neck.

"Don't— fuck, don't leave a hickey," Reyna moaned, pulling them flush against her. "Nowhere visible, at least. I have a— Thal, I have a meeting with a professor."

"No problem," Thalia smirked, easing up a little on her neck. They left a trail of warm and wet kisses down her throat. They unzipped her jacket and slipped it down her arms, leaving her in just her sports bra.

Reyna's hands ran down Thalia's back and. grabbed the hem of their sweater, pulling it up and over their head.

And then she stopped for a second, looking at Thalia with a little frown on her face. They knew what this was about before she even said anything.

"Please tell me you didn't work out in your binder on purpose?"

Thalia grimaced a little, leaning their palms against the door on either side of Reyna's head.

"I know, I know, I know. I shouldn't have. But... I can finally wear it Rey. I— It's hard not to, after over two months," Thalia replied, avoiding Reyna's eyes.

She placed her index finger just below their chin and tilted it up so she could meet their eyes.

"Hey..." She told them softly. "You sure you're okay?"

Thalia nodded, sending her a small, reassuring smile. "I am. I'll be more careful, I promise. But, it's just... when there are people like those two assholes out there, and with my dysphoria, the binder helps."

"Not while working out," Reyna replied, "You need to let your body breathe, Thal."

Thalia let out a heavy breath through their nose and nodded gently. "I know. I'm okay though. Just more out of breath than usual," they replied, winking subtly at her. It did have a lot to do with Reyna.

"Come here, you reckless idiot," Reyna murmured, smiling wide as she pulled them against her by their chain necklace and kissed them again.

" _Your_ reckless idiot," Thalia murmured, pecking her lips back.

"My reckless idiot," Reyna whispered, kissing them completely breathless.

"Bubble bath?" Thalia suggested once they finally pulled away to catch their breath and Reyna nodded as she fluttered her eyes open.

"Sounds great," she said, pushing them off her playfully and pulling herself off the wall.

Thalia grabbed her by the hand and pulled her over to the tub which they started filling with water and used a large dollop of shower gel to make bubbles.

"Don't you have work soon, though?" Reyna asked as she slipped into the tub, sitting opposite Thalia.

Thalia playfully nudged her with their foot, catching a bubble in their hand and blowing it in her face. "This is much more fun."

"Absolutely right," Reyna responded with a cheeky grin, flicking some soapy water at Thalia. "Ah, soaking in our own filth!"

"Shut up," Thalia laughed and pushed themselves up to grab her hands on either side of the tub and pull her over to their side.

Reyna settled down in their lap instead, wrapping her arms around them and kissing them softly. Thalia's lips started moving down her back, kissing every inch of skin that was above the water level.

Reyna turned around until her back was pressed against Thalia's chest and her hands were resting in their thighs. Thalia poured their attention to her neck and shoulder, kissing her, and caressing her skin until their fingers reached down between them.

They might have gotten the entire bathroom floor wet, and somehow, the bathroom mirror, but it was also possibly the best bath Thalia had ever taken, even if it made them a little late for work. All of twenty-two minutes, to be exact.

"Do you really have to take your bike?" Reyna asked from her spot on their bed, wrapped up in a towel and massaging her legs with some lotion.

Thalia was trying to get into a pair of pants and their shoes at the same time, which might not have been such a smart idea. But they were in a hurry, and it was impossible for them to come up with a coherent thought.

"It's faster, and I just got it fixed—" They cut themselves off as they pulled a grey hoodie over their t-shirt.

"I don't wanna get another call from the hospital," Reyna said quietly.

Thalia slowed down, one shoe on and one pant leg on. They pulled down their hoodie properly, stepped into the other pant leg and buttoned them up properly, and walked over to Reyna. They grabbed her face in their hands and met her gaze.

"You're not going to get another call from the hospital, I promise," they told her reassuringly, running their thumb over her cheek.

"Promise you won't do anything stupid?"

"I promise," Thalia told her, holding out their pinkie. Reyna fought the urge to smile as she linked her pinkie with theirs. Thalia pulled their hands up to their lips and kissed Reyna's pinkie softly.

"I love you, baby girl."

"I know," Reyna replied, squeezing their hand gently. Then, she smacked them on their butt and shoved them in the direction of their bedroom door. "Now, go, you're already late. And drive slowly!"

"I will!" Thalia reassured her, laughing softly at her smacking their butt and stepping into the other sneaker. They found their helmet and made their way out into the hall to find their coat and keys.

"Thal?" Reyna called out just as they were about to step outside. They turned around, looking at her expectantly. "Te quiero, cielo."

Thalia grinned widely at her, running back over to her just as the elevator doors opened. "Te quiero, también," they replied, probably completely butchering the sentence, but it made Reyna smile. They kissed her cheek and then her lips quickly before dashing into the elevator and waving at her as the doors began to close.

When they got to work twenty-two minutes late and very much alive, they made sure to send Reyna a selfie to reassure her that they were fine.

They pushed their phone back into their pocket and made their way inside. Thankfully, the manager hadn't arrived yet and it was just them and Phoebe, their friend and co-worker.

"Hey! First day back and you're already late!" Phoebe exclaimed, smirking at them from her spot behind the counter, getting everything in order before they were set to open in another thirty minutes.

"Yeah, keep that to yourself. I can't get fired after three years," they chuckled, setting their helmet, backpack, and coat in the backroom and grabbing their apron with their name-tag on it. 

Phoebe observed them as they hurried around the shop to do their part of the job. Thalia stopped halfway through refilling the ice cream machine to glare at her.

"What are staring at?"

Phoebe chuckled and walked over to them, patting their back. "You totally got laid this morning."

"What?" Thalia furrowed their eyebrows, acting confused. "Why would you say that?"

"You've got your 'I just got laid' face on," Phoebe explained right before dipping back out into the main cafe.

Thalia finished up their job and followed her out. "You can't even see my face behind this mask." 

Phoebe ran a hand through her short, red hair. She really did know how to rock an undercut.

"The eyes, chico, they never lie!"

Thalia scoffed and walked over to the coffee pot to make themselves a cup before they had to officially start working.

"Don't quote Scarface at me!" Thalia shot back, pointing a playfully threatening finger in her face.

"Alright, but you've got sex eyes, so," Phoebe replied with a small laugh and a grin.

"I do not! What the fuck do 'sex eyes' even look like?" Thalia huffed as they poured some coffee into a disposable cup.

"I don't know, but I _know_ that look on your face, so..."

"Oh, shut up," they grumbled as Phoebe started laughing and they pushed past her to flip the "open" sign on the door and unlock it. "I'm gonna be making cakes if you need anything."

Thalia grabbed their coffee and took a sip as they made their way back into the kitchen where they were going to spend the rest of their day at work, baking and decorating cakes.

Reyna had a meeting with her professors or something during lunchtime so Thalia grabbed for a sandwich and sat at one of the empty tables in the cafe with Phoebe but that didn't stop them from spamming Reyna's phone. They knew she would have turned it off, or at least silenced it so they weren't feeling too guilty about it.

"I just honestly can't believe it..."

Thalia glanced up at Phoebe who was watching them, her green eyes genuinely intrigued.

"What?"

"You," Phoebe replied. "In a relationship. Like, a real one. Like actually in a happy relationship."

Thalia couldn't help but smile while taking a bite from their lunch. "Yeah, it is kinda weird isn't it?"

"Yeah, but then again, your girlfriend's hot as fuck, so, I'm not surprised," Phoebe added and Thalia slapped her arm, not entirely playfully.

"Hey— I still remember you trying to flirt with her when you first met her. Friends or not, I will kick your ass!" Thalia told her, though there wasn't any threatening undertone behind their words.

"Right," Phoebe snorted while munching on a bag of chips. "Like you could kick my ass."

"I could have you on the ground in like, five seconds, tops."

"Yes, I know there are two tops sitting at this table right now—"

"Pheebs," Thalia rolled their eyes as they resisted the urge to laugh and shoved her shoulder again.

"I'm not gonna lie," Thalia said after a small pause between them. "I _was_ kind of pissed off at you for flirting with her. Not that I had any reason to be. But..."

"But you were already in love with her," Phoebe finished their sentence. She was smiling at them like she understood where they were coming from. "You know I never really meant anything by it, right?"

"I know. And hey, you _are_ one of my best friends. I could never stay that pissed off at you for long. Although, you do like to piss off everyone around you."

"Yep, pretty much," Phoebe laughed and Thalia joined in. "Besides, who else are you gonna start that punk rock band with?"

Thalia snorted, almost choking on their sandwich. "Oh, absolutely no one! High school Phoebe and Thalia... look at us now."

"Not even close to being rich and famous," Phoebe grumbled, jokingly bitter.

"Yeah... but we're happy."

"A broke pre-med student and a broke art student with a rich daddy... pretty happy."

Thalia laughed harder, shoving her shoulder again. "Hey, at least you'll probably be able to off my boobs for me."

"Nah, babe, I'll probably drop out before I can reach that point," Phoebe replied, letting out a small laugh.

"No, you gotta become a doctor! Think about all the boobs you're gonna be paid to see!" Thalia exclaimed which only made Phoebe roll her eyes.

"All the ones I'm currently seeing are on my phone screen, and then I'll be stuck looking at dead cadavers for another four years—"

"Ew, okay," Thalia interrupted, scrunching their nose in distaste. "You can stop there."

"Right, well, you asked for it," Phoebe chuckled, and then after a moment, she added: "Are you happy?" 

"Yeah," Thalia breathed out, smiling a little to themselves. "I think I am. With Reyna, it's hard not to be." 

Phoebe smiled back at them. "Yeah?" 

"Sure, like this morning, she punched a guy and I don't think I've ever been happier at seeing a broken nose, it was quite—" 

"She _broke_ someone's nose?" Phoebe cut them off in surprise. Thalia just realised how bad that might have sounded and they rushed to explain the situation. 

"No, it was like really hot actually. It was a bunch of homophobic dicks and they wouldn't leave us alone so she punched one of them," they explained to a stunned and impressed Phoebe. 

"Yo, yeah, does she have a sister by any chance?" 

Thalia snorted at the image of Reyna's sister, Hylla, and Phoebe following her around like a lost puppy. She would definitely find Hylla attractive, with her scary glares and the way she always had her arms crossed. 

"Yeah, but she's like pretty straight and could probably kill you in half a second," Thalia replied to which Phoebe sighed in disappointment and slumped back in her seat. 

"So, you get harassed by a bunch of assholes, break a guy's nose, and celebrate with a morning fuck?" Phoebe recalled and Thalia nodded along in confirmation. 

"Sounds about right. It was great." 

"That is seriously dysfunctional, but, hey," Phoebe laughed, holding out her fist. "I have no right to talk about dysfunctional." 

Thalia laughed along as they bumped their fist with hers. "Right. How's Naomi doing?" 

Phoebe used her already clenched fist to punch Thalia's arm. "Hey, do not go there, Grace—" 

"Did you hear that?" Thalia interrupted Phoebe again, furrowing their eyebrows in concentration. They thought they heard a distinctive meow.

"What?"

"Sh... listen!" There was a bit of chatter coming from the few customers inside but that was definitely another meow.

Thalia got up to their feet and searched the entire cafe but they couldn't find any cats.

"I definitely heard that, but I think it's coming from outside, Thal," Phoebe told them but Thalia was pretty sure it _wasn't._

 _"_ No, we wouldn't have heard it so clearly," they insisted. They pushed the door to the kitchen... and then they heard it again, much louder this time. "Pheebs, there's definitely a cat in here!"

Phoebe followed them in, but she didn't look too convinced. Until Thalia crouched down and checked under the counters. They couldn't find anything, but they kept looking until they reached the oven, and another meow came.

"I think it's under the oven..."

"Are you kidding?" Phoebe crouched down to their level to take a look under the oven, and sure enough, at the very back, they saw a pair of yellow eyes glowing. "Shit, we have to get it out of there."

"Do you think it's stuck?" Thalia asked worriedly. They tried to stick their arm under there but it wouldn't fit all the way, and the cat seemed pretty frightened to let them touch it.

"I don't know, I mean, it crawled under there somehow. It can probably come out, and we can't exactly move the oven," Phoebe rationalised. She clicked her fingers, trying to lure the cat but it stayed frozen in the very back.

"I have an idea," Thalia mumbled and pushed themselves up to their feet. They rushed over to the fridge where they kept milk and poured a little bit into the smallest disposable cup they could find. They placed it right in front of the oven and then took a couple of steps back.

"I don't think it's gonna come out if we're here. It's probably spooked," Phoebe murmured, trying to keep her voice quiet to avoid scaring the cat.

"Right... I have to finish a cake order, though," Thalia replied, leaning back against the counter. Phoebe joined them and gave them a little shrug of her shoulders.

"It'll come out eventually," she reassured them.

They both went back to work once their lunchtime was over. Thalia had almost forgotten about the cat until they left the room to grab their things to leave for home. When they returned to the kitchen to lock everything up, they saw the cat, standing right next to the cup of milk and taking small and hesitant licks.

It wasn't even a cat. It was just a tiny kitten, no bigger than Thalia's hand. It was all black with a few white spots in its fur and its whiskers were way too long and way too adorable. Now, Thalia was definitely a dog person, but this kitten right there had just stolen their heart. There was definitely no going back.

They took careful steps toward it so as to not spook it and sat down on the kitchen floor. The cat instantly walked up to them and jumped in their lap. Thalia was taken by surprise but they didn't question it much as they scooped it up in their arms and held it up to their face.

"Oh my gosh, how are you so tiny?" They whispered while running their finger softly over the cat's head. "It's a little cold out there, isn't it? Is that why you were hiding in there?"

The cat meowed back, as though it could understand whatever Thalia was telling it... or her, by the looks of it. It started purring and twirling its tail around Thalia's hand.

"I probably shouldn't but..." they hesitated for a moment, but then, "Yeah, I'm definitely taking you home. Reyna can't get angry when she sees your face, right?"

They couldn't help but kiss the kitten's face. They got up to their feet, slipped their coat on, and slipped the kitten safely inside their coat. They would have to be extra careful but the cat seemed pretty happy and warm, clinging on to their hoodie.

It had already started to rain by the time Thalia was parking their bike right outside their building. They rushed upstairs and into their apartment, holding the cat close as they unlocked the door.

Reyna wasn't home yet so they had time to think of a plan to let her know about this impromptu decision.

All they came up with was LOOK AT HER FACE! And seriously, look at her face! It was too adorable.

But one thing Thalia had completely forgotten about was the two giant dogs. They could crush this cat with just a single wag of their tail. Shit...

As soon as they settled down in the living room, Aurum and Argentum rushed in there to meet the new kitten. Thalia was very surprised at how gentle they were actually being. They sat down on the couch right next to Thalia, and the cat instantly crawled over Argentum and curled up on his back. He didn't even move.

"This is gonna work perfectly," they decided. Until they heard the key in the door and Reyna's footsteps in the hall.

"Honey, I'm home!" She called out, an inside joke between them, her keys jingling as she set them down in their usual place.

"I'm in here!" They called out, turning around on the couch to see her walk in toward them.

"The dogs are weirdly calm..." Reyna pointed out with a chuckle as she shrugged off her jacket and hung it up by the door.

"Right?" Thalia replied, pretending to be completely oblivious. "Hey, how was your meeting?" They tried to change the subject instantly just as the cat began to purr, and purr loudly, she did.

"It was fine... what's that?" Reyna asked confusedly, walking up behind Thalia and pressing a kiss on their forehead.

"What's what?"

"I— it sounds like a cat purring— oh, my god, is that a fucking cat sitting on Argentum?"

Thalia grinned sheepishly, running a hand through their hair to ruffle it nervously. "Yes, that is a cat sitting on Argentum."

Reyna looked at Thalia in confusion and then back again at the dog laying there calming with a cat curled up and sleeping soundly on his back.

"Thalia..."

"Reyna..."

"Why is there a cat sleeping on Argentum?"

"Because she's tired...?"

Reyna groaned and made her way around the couch to stand in front of Thalia. her arms crossed over her chest.

"Thalia... jeez, what did I say right before you left?"

"That you love me?" They replied, trying to be a smart ass about it and remind Reyna that she does in fact love them.

"Before that."

They grimaced a little as they answered her. "Not to do anything stupid—"

"And what did you do? You did something stupid—"

"Okay, but that doesn't count! That was about the bike!"

"It does count! Don't do anything stupid means just that!" Reyna exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air exasperatedly.

Thalia sighed and pouted at Reyna. They scooped the kitten up in their arms and held her up to Reyna's face.

"But look at her, Rey! Look at her cute face!"

Reyna looked a little bit uncomfortable like it was hard not to agree with them. And Thalia knew for a fact that it was.

"Where did you even find it?" Reyna asked, a frown settling on her face as she chewed the inside of her cheek. Thalia knew it meant she was thinking it over.

"At work," they explained. "She was hiding under the oven for warmth."

"Jeez, Thal, she might be carrying diseases or something!" Reyna said, sitting down on the coffee table facing them.

"Katara looks clean! And I'll take her to the vet first thing in the morning!"

"Katara? You've already given her a name," Reyna sighed, burying her face in her hands.

"It's one of the options. Or maybe... Kiwi. Or like, _CATherine._ Emphasis on the Cat," Thalia started recounting all of their options. "I've got an entire list."

"I think you should stick with Katara," Reyna decided. Thalia kinda had to agree. They grinned at her, hopeful.

"So, we can keep her?"

Reyna hesitated for a moment. "What about the dogs? They can literally rip her like a chew toy."

"They won't! They love her!" Thalia reassured her. "And she can just sleep in my old room. Please." They gave her their best puppy eyes and pout and eventually, Reyna sighed and closed her eyes.

"Fine. We can keep the cat," and before Thalia could celebrate she added, "but I swear if I come home to my clothes shredded, I'm kicking you both out."

"She won't. I love you. Katara loves you. You're the best!" Thalia rushed out excitedly and leaned over to kiss Reyna, taking her a little by surprise.

She eased up a few seconds later and kissed them back with a little smile on her face.

That night, as Thalia curled up in bed next to Reyna who was already asleep, they made sure to keep the door ajar, in case the kitten didn't want to be alone. They knew Reyna would not like that idea much, but Thalia couldn't keep the cat scared and alone!

Thalia woke up to a hand smacking their arm repeatedly.

"Hm— wha...?" They grumbled, refusing to open their eyes.

"Thalia," Reyna said through gritted teeth. They only hummed in response, already feeling themselves slip back into blissful sleep.

"Your cat's sleeping on my chest."

"Okay," they simply responded through a yawn and turned around toward Reyna, wrapping their arm around her waist for some morning cuddles. Except, a pair of claws came down on their hand and it was suddenly stinging them. What the heck?

They opened their eyes only to find Katara glaring at them while curled up defensively over Reyna's chest.

"Did she just smack my hand away for trying to hug you?"

Reyna let out a small chuckle and nodded her head. "I think she did... you know what? I think she's growing on me."

"Shut up," they grumbled and pulled themselves up into a sitting position as a yawn took over their body. "For the record," they addressed the cat. "I rescued you, you ungrateful adorable little asshole!"

Their hand was slowly starting to bleed from the scratch but honestly, it wasn't that bad.

"You're taking the cat to the vet, right?" Reyna asked, holding the cat in the air so she can sit up. Katara meowed in protest but Reyna just set her down between them and pushed herself up.

Katara jumped into Thalia's lap this time and curled up right there. Okay, this was the weirdest cat they had ever encountered.

"Yeah, I need to shop for cat stuff, too," they told her, reaching down to scratch the cat's head, even though she had just made them bleed.

Reyna let out a small yawn as she stretched and pulled herself out of bed. "I'll come with you if you want." 

Thalia smiled lazily, rubbing their eyes and flipping over to their side. They watched Reyna as she opened her closet and sifted through her wardrobe. The kitten jumped right on top of their leg and clawed its way all the way up to Thalia's waist where it settled down happily. With a small laugh, they picked her up and hugged her close with no chance of escape. The cat didn't seem to mind and started purring instead. 

"I'd love that," they mumbled, their face half-buried into Katara's fur. "You don't have anything today?" 

"Nothing that can't afford to wait a day or two." Reyna turned around, holding a pair of jeans in one hand and a wool knit sweater in the other. She walked over to Thalia and leaned over the mattress, pecking their lips softly. "I want to spend time with you." 

Thalia grinned widely as Reyna pulled away and went out into the hall. "I do have to get to work after this, though." 

"I could tag along. I'll bring my work with me." 

"Careful," Thalia said, sitting up to see her better. "I might start thinking you're obsessed with me." 

Reyna let out a loud cackle while walking away, refuting Thalia's statement even if it was just a joke. Still hurt a little. 

Thalia brought along their camera and documented the whole trip from their apartment until they got to the veterinary clinic which was just a stop away riding the subway. Thalia spent _a lot_ of money on Katara. Did they regret buying ten different tiny yarn balls and three different bags of kibble flavours because they weren't sure whether she liked chicken, meat, or fish better? Maybe just a little bit, but that had a lot to do with Reyna trying to stop them and knock some sense into them. Either way, they were pretty stubborn, and having the cat there with them made it pretty hard not to buy all that stuff, including a personalised collar with her name and Thalia's phone number and a tiny bell. 

"You know, she's gonna grow up and rip one of your favourite hoodies, and spoiling her is gonna start feeling pretty old eventually," Reyna told them as they rode the train back home, each one of them carrying two different bags full of goodies for their pets, with Katara in her new travel backpack which Thalia was wearing. 

"Hey— we'll have that conversation when it happens. But, if you're going to be the bad cop here, our children are going to need the good cop parent, and that's gotta be me!" Thalia replied, taking the issue pretty seriously. 

Reyna laughed softly, shaking her head at them. Thalia could tell she was smiling behind her purple face mask. 

"You say that like you birthed them yourself," Reyna laughed teasingly, pulling her weight off the pole and stepping over toward the door as they approached their stop. 

"I did. Katara is my own flesh and blood. Aurum and Argentum are my step-babies," Thalia explained jokingly, following after Reyna. 

"I've known you, what, over a year, now?" Reyna started just as the train started coming to a halt at their stop. "Never thought you'd be the cat kind of gay." 

They jumped onto the platform and marched all the way outside and onto the main street, making their way back home. 

"Are you judging me, Ramírez?" Thalia snapped back, narrowing their eyes playfully at her. 

"I wouldn't ever dream of it, Grace," she shot back, her eyes twinkling in the bright morning light. 

"You're totally judging me," Thalia muttered under their breath as the two of them made their way up to their apartment and Reyna spent the entire elevator ride staring at them. 

"I'm not!" She defended herself, carrying both bags in one arm to grab her keys with her now free hand. 

"You totally are. You've got judgy eyes, and they're more obvious when I can only see half your face!"

"I'm not judging you," Reyna exclaimed, laughing gently. She pushed the door open and Thalia pushed past her and toward their art studio which they had decided was going to serve as the cat's den as well. "You're just really adorable with that cat!" 

"Yeah, right!" Thalia called out behind their back.

They dropped all the bags down on the floor and let the kitten out of the backpack first before unpacking the essentials: cat bed, litterbox, food bowl. Reyna followed after them a few moments later, followed by two very curious dogs. Her hand ran through Aurum's fur as she watched Thalia amusedly at the doorway. 

"Seriously, you taking care of that tiny thing is the cutest thing I've ever seen, I think," she chuckled, leaning her shoulder against the doorframe. 

"Well, why don't you take a picture then?" Thalia muttered, already opening the first bag of kibble they came across. Katara must have been starving. 

"Way ahead of you, handsome," Reyna replied, and when Thalia looked up in slight confusion, they found that she already had her phone out and was filming the entire thing. They pulled out their middle finger as a reflex, but they couldn't help but laugh under their breath and shake their head at Reyna. 

"I don't look good today, don't I?" They replied cockily instead. Reyna rolled her eyes as she stepped over to them and leaned down to kiss the top of their head and ruffle their hair. 

"You always do, cielo," she told them, setting down the rest of the bags next to them. 

They both straightened up as Katara started sniffing her food and hesitantly taking a bite. Thalia watched with a wide smile and Reyna wrapped her arms around their waist, leaning her head on their shoulder. 

"You gotta admit," Thalia murmured, covering Reyna's hands with theirs. "That is the most adorable little shit ever." 

Watching Katara nibble on the food really was adorably painful. 

"Mhm... maybe," Reyna replied, brushing her lips against their jaw. "You're gonna fill this room with paintings of her, aren't you?" 

"Yeah, that's a given," Thalia chuckled, turning around to look at Reyna. "You're not gonna be jealous now, are you?" They teased her. 

"Only if you start making more art of her than me," she replied jokingly, poking Thalia's side with her fingers. 

They squirmed at her touch, grabbing her hand and lacing their fingers together, squeezing tightly. 

"See, I can't tell if you're serious or not, but either way, I have an entire sketchbook dedicated to you, Rey. I don't think you have any reason to worry," they told her, pulling her hand up to their mouth and kissing her knuckles. 

Reyna pulled her head off their shoulder, frowning at them. "I am definitely joking, but why do I not know anything about this sketchbook?" 

Thalia grinned sheepishly at her, squirming out of her hold. "It's my secret book of secret sketches." 

"Huh... I gotta see that," Reyna told them, her face deadly serious. 

With a sigh, Thalia walked over to their desk and rummaged through the different notebooks and sketchpads until they found a small book that looked pretty new but already worn out as well. They handed it over to Reyna who raised an eyebrow in surprise. 

"Oh, babe, I don't have to see them if you don't want me to," she told them, holding the book hesitantly between her hands, her fingers running over the hard exterior. 

Thalia just shrugged and sent her a small smile. "I don't mind. They're just sketches of you, you have the right to see them." 

Reyna smiled back and slowly opened up the sketchbook to the first page. "So, it's not really a secret book of secret sketches then." 

Thalia chuckled, standing behind Reyna to look over her shoulder. "No, it is. You're the only one allowed to see them." 

Reyna craned her neck to catch their gaze. "You don't want the world to see me?" She asked, feigning hurt. 

"Not these sketches," they chuckled, pointing at the book in her hands with their chin. "You'll see what I mean," 

The first page was empty apart from Thalia's signature and the date. Reyna flipped the page to the very first sketch. It was just a sketch of Reyna's side profile. 

"This is dated in January," Reyna mumbled, tracing the shape of her face over the paper with her finger. "We weren't close yet..." 

"Yeah, I still had eyes though, and you're beautiful, so, I had to just, you know," they shrugged their shoulder, feeling the back of their neck getting warmer. 

"Thank you," she whispered.

The next couple of sketches were pretty random. The dogs, a still life, the view from this exact room's window, the view from one of their classes' window. That one girl in their art history class their second semester who they kinda hooked up with right before the whole country had gone into lockdown. 

"Who's that?" Reyna asked, stopping at that last sketch. Thalia couldn't hear any bitterness in her voice though. The sketch was dated in March anyway. 

"Oh, my back-up plan, if this ever stops working out," Thalia answered jokingly. Reyna jabbed them in the side with her elbow and Thalia laughed, trying to move out of reach. 

"You're cute if you think I'm ever letting you leave," Reyna replied, glancing up at Thalia with a little grin playing on her face as she flipped the page. 

"Where would I ever wanna leave to, anyway?" Thalia came back around Reyna, wrapping their arms around her waist and nuzzling her neck. 

"Her, apparently," Reyna said, looking at a second sketch of the same girl. 

Thalia laughed quietly, slightly embarrassed. "I'm gonna be very honest here... I can't even remember her name. Just that we were together in a class and hooked up like, once." 

"Huh," Reyna hummed, flipping the page again. "Can't wait for me to become just another one of your forgotten exes," she joked, but Thalia wasn't going to let that pass. 

"Nope, don't say that," they exclaimed, turning Reyna around in their arms. "You, Reyna Ramírrez-Arellano, are impossible to forget, and I would be the biggest idiot to have ever lived if you ever became an ex. Nope, I don't even want to think about that." 

Reyna's mouth was open for a few seconds, as though she had something witty to respond with, but she just closed her mouth and looked at Thalia with a soft and adoring gaze. 

"Thalia Grace, I really, really love you." 

Thalia beamed affectionately at her, kissing her cheek with a loud smooching sound. "I know," they murmured, nuzzling her cheek. 

Then, they grabbed the sketchbook from Reyna's hands and flipped to the next page. "This is where it kinda became like, dedicated to you..." 

And just as they had said, the next couple of pictures were candid sketches of Reyna around their apartment. Reyna haunched over her laptop, hard at work. Reyna eating some Chinese takeout. Reyna cooking, Reyna napping with Aurum and Argentum. Other sketches of the dogs alone, and a couple others that didn't really have to do with anything such as a rough sketch of a hand or a very detailed flower. But mostly, it was sketch after sketch of Reyna all throughout the months that they had been quarantined together, the months that they had started sleeping together. The sketches had become more frequent then. And then there was an entire stretch of over a month where they hadn't made a single sketch. Until they had started dating, and then the drawings were even more detailed. There was one almost every other day. Some of them were a little... racy and Thalia felt a little sheepish showing them to Reyna because she wasn't exactly aware that they were drawing her most of the time, but then again, they did have their sketchbook and pencil out every single time, and they did spend large amounts of time staring at her, so, she must have known, right? 

"Thal..." Reyna breathed out, running her fingers lightly over the last sketch, which was just one of Reyna's head in Thalia's lap while she was napping a couple of weeks ago. 

Thalia grimaced a little. "I know, I probably should have told you all those times that I was actually drawing you—" 

"No, no, I don't mind it, baby. Of course not. It's you. But, these are all so incredible."

She let out a small curse under her breath in Spanish, and if Thalia wasn't mistaken, it sounded pretty amazed. 

"You like them?" Thalia asked, not bothering to mask the surprise in their voice.

"Are you kidding? Baby, you're so fucking talented. How can I not like them?" Reyna told them. "And you also finally got the shape of my boobs right, so there's that to celebrate. "

Thalia let out a breathy laugh, running their fingers through their hair, elated. "So, you only care about me getting the shape of your titties right?" 

"Duh, I mean, if I'm ever going to make you famous, the art has to be accurate at least, don't you think?" 

Reyna was grinning lopsidedly at Thalia, her eyes twinkling in excitement. Thalia couldn't help but grin back, standing in front of her with their eyes still wide in surprise. Their hands rested on her hips, pulling her flush against them. 

"You make a very fair point, there," they agreed, and as they stared longer into Reyna's beautifully distracting dark eyes, they both started to laugh while closing the gap between them with a sweet kiss. 

Reyna pulled away eventually, wrapping her arms completely around Thalia in a warm hug, kissing their cheek on her way to bury her face in their neck. 

"I love you so much, Thal," Reyna whispered, her fingers gently brushing through the hair at the nape of their neck. 

"I love you so much more," they murmured back, smiling as they kissed the top of her head. "You really think these could make me famous?" 

Reyna nodded her head. "Yeah, for sure. But only because I'm the model, of course." 

Thalia laughed softly, swaying softly from side to side with Reyna still in their arms. "Oh, I completely agree." 


	17. EPILOGUE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god... i can't believe this story has come to an end... wow, okay. I'm kinda emotional rn and i start writing I'll write an entire sappy paragraph so I'll just leave you with this for now :)  
> Enjoy this final chapter and thank you for being the best readers out there! comments are always appreciated <3

Thalia grabbed a box in one arm, their camera in the other, documenting the entire process of taking the box all the way downstairs and to the truck with all the rest of their things. Thankfully, the box only contained clothes and nothing breakable because they almost dropped it a couple of times along their way.

As they made their way back upstairs, Thalia ran into Jason and Nico di Angelo who were helping them pack up the apartment, along with Annabeth and Percy. They made sure to ruffle Jason's hair and playfully shove Nico into the wall as they rushed back inside the apartment, ignoring their complaints and the sound of a box crashing. Hopefully, it wasn't one of Reyna's boxes that contained breakable things or they were going to end up broken, quite literally.

The apartment was almost entirely emptied out now. It had never looked neater, honestly. Thalia couldn't remember the last time there wasn't a stray jacket or pair of shoes next to the couch. Well... probably the day they had moved in four years ago.

They zoomed in with their camera on every last detail of the room, the tiny scratches on the coffee table from that time they jumped and slipped on it with their studded boots during an intense game of Floor is Lava, the stain on the wall that had been there before they had moved in and no matter what they used trying to wipe it, it wouldn't go away. The framed picture of a sunflower, also courtesy of whoever had this place before them. The framed painting of two particular greyhounds next to it. Thalia walked over to it and took it off the wall then added it to the pile of items to be packed in the hall where Percy and Annabeth were rolling a bunch of mugs in bubble wrap.

"Hey, careful with the Darth Vader one," Thalia said, pointing their lens at Percy and tossing a threatening finger in his face. He looked up like he was just caught red-handed doing something illegal but then rolled his eyes and went back to bubble-wrapping.

"He's already got a crack in his skull," Percy pointed out, which of course, Thalia knew, but that wasn't the point. It was a special mug.

"Just be careful, idiot."

"Hey, do you want my help or not?" He exclaimed, his accent turning a little thicker as he got emotional.

"Don't let them get to you, seaweed brain," Annabeth told him calmly, shooting Thalia a playful glare followed by sticking her tongue out at them.

" _Babe, do you still need this or do you wanna add it to the donation pile?"_

Thalia flipped off Annabeth and Percy jokingly and carefully stepped around them toward the bedroom. Annabeth tried to grab onto their leg and almost tripped them but Thalia caught themselves against the wall at the last second.

"You're going to regret that," they told Annabeth through gritted teeth before pulling themselves back up and dashing over to Reyna while Annabeth laughed to herself.

Through her camera screen, she watched Reyna pull out an old item of clothing from the back of the drawer. A worn-out cream coloured binder. They hadn't worn it in almost a year now.

"Thal...?" Reyna asked again, turning around to call out for Thalia only to be taken aback when she saw them standing there. "Oh, hey, I didn't hear you come in."

Thalia let out a soft chuckle and took a look around the room, moving the video camera from Reyna's spot in front of the cupboard to the stripped bed and the newly bare walls. Everything was piled on the floor either around Reyna or already in boxes.

"Thalia..." Reyna called their name again. "Do you wanna keep it?"

Thalia moved the lens back to Reyna and zoomed in on her hands holding the binder. It wasn't the first one they had ever bought. That one was already packed along with the rest of their important belongings. But this one still held a lot of meaning to them.

"Uh... no, actually," they found themselves responding. "I think I should give it away, with the other clothes that don't fit me. It could help another tiny enby out there."

Reyna smiled softly, folding it back up again. "Special donation box?"

"Special donation box," Thalia agreed, smiling back as they grabbed the binder from Reyna's hands and went to place it in the box with all of their old clothes that helped them through their worst days through the years that just didn't fit them anymore.

"Are you done packing the studio?" Reyna asked, pulling out the last few items of clothing from the closet and into her lap.

"Yeah, they're already in the moving truck. There's just our room and the kitchen left. Annabeth and Percy are already on it," Thalia explained, zooming in on Reyna's face with her dark hair falling over her forehead and covering her eyes. She had started wearing it loose a lot more recently. It suited her a lot.

"Are you going to be filming this entire process?" Reyna asked without even looking up at Thalia as she was busy folding a couple of jackets.

"Yeah! It deserves to be remembered," Thalia defended their cause, which they knew Reyna wouldn't really understand but at this point, she had learned not to argue with them and just accept her fate.

"Isn't a picture enough?" Reyna muttered under her breath with a small sigh which made Thalia laugh and step over a box to reach her side. They leaned down, kissed the top of her head, and made their way back out to help Nico and Jason take more boxes down to the truck. Or, film them doing it.

"Hey, idiot with the camera!"

Thalia turned to glare at Annabeth as she jumped over Percy and into the kitchen to empty the rest of the cabinets.

"Shut up or I'll cut you out of the final edit!" Thalia replied, joining her in the kitchen and leaning against the counter.

"Do you wanna help pack your own shit or what?"

Thalia huffed out a sigh and finally put down their camera for the first time since that morning. "Fine! I guess I can lend a hand..."

Annabeth sent them a small glance as she reached up to gran the bunch of pots and pans.

"What?" Thalia demanded, helping her out with the rest of the utensils.

"Nothing," Annabeth mumbled while opening up an empty box. She labelled it using a black sharpie while Thalia watched her neatly print the words POTS & PANS.

"Annie? I know you just profiled me like you're Dr. Reid on Criminal Minds or something, so just let it out," Thalia called her out, watching her expectantly.

"First of all, Matthew Gray Gubler's got nothing on me!" Annabeth exclaimed, placing the first batch of pots in the box. Thalia followed suit with the pots' metal lids.

"Oh, of course! He's not even half as gorgeous as you!" Thalia reassured her, shooting her their famous shit-eating grin.

"Correct. And second of all," Annabeth continued with a little more laughter in her voice. "I can tell you're using the vlogging as a way to put off having to finish packing all your things before moving out and we both know that Reyna's gonna get it done anyway, whether you help out or not."

Thalia was taken aback. "Wha— I'm done packing _my things!_ I'm just trying to remember this really important new chapter in our life!"

"Uh-hu..." Annabeth sent Thalia a small, empathic smile. "Whenever you're ready to talk about it, I'll be bubble wrapping your dishes."

Thalia rolled their eyes as Annabeth moved to another cabinet to pull out all the plates and dishes. They let out a small huff and slid onto the counter right next to Annabeth.

"It's just... New York... I mean, it's always been home... kind of... like—"

"Thal," Annabeth sighed, speaking softly. "You've never identified with New York. Not the way Percy and I do, or the rest of your family."

That was true. They knew for a fact that Percy would knock out anyone who talked shit about Manhattan. And Annabeth, well, it was the place where she kind of found herself and where she found her home in Percy.

Thalia had never felt this connected to this place. It was just another city to them. They always talked about how they wanted to leave, once Jason was old enough to take care of himself (but then again, he's always been able to take care of himself, and Thalia, even as the younger sibling.)

"I know, I'm not nervous about the _leaving_ part."

Annabeth stopped emptying the cabinet for a second to observe Thalia. They shifted uncomfortably under her scrutinising gaze.

"You're nervous about going back to California?"

Thalia nodded, dropping their gaze to their hands folded around the video camera in their lap.

"Do you remember in sixth grade, when you and I first met, and uh, Luke, and we were the new kids in town..." Annabeth started, a small, nostalgic smile playing on her face as she went back to packing. Thalia jumped off the counter and started helping her out, keeping their hands busy.

"Yeah," they chuckled softly. "What was that giant kid called that kept trying to bully us?"

"I... honestly can't remember," Annabeth laughed, brushing her blonde curls off her face. "But I remember getting all three of us detention after kicking him in the nuts for stealing... what was it?"

"My, uh, mom's pendant," Thalia replied as the memory came back in a rush. They were twelve, and they'd just started at this new school with Annabeth and Luke and the older kids of course always wanted to show them who's the boss, but tiny Annabeth wasn't taking any of that bullshit and Thalia was pretty sure after she had quite literally wiped the floor with that kid's face, no one really dared to mess with them.

And it was also the first time the three of them really bonded. Three misfits with nothing in common other than the fact that they hated their parents and wanted nothing more than to just run away.

"God, you used to say 'y'all' a lot," Thalia commented, bumping their shoulder into Annabeth's playfully.

"I grew up in Virginia till I was 7, sue me!" Annabeth exclaimed, bumping her hip into Thalia's a little harder and shoving them into the counter.

Thalia laughed in amusement, popping a couple of bubbles from the wrap.

"Do you remember what we said, when we found out that Luke and I both grew up in California?"

Annabeth furrowed her eyebrows in thought and then hesitantly nodded her head. "I think so... you guys promised to never step back there again."

"Yeah," Thalia murmured, squeezing another handful of bubble wrap, making a loud and satisfying popping sound.

"Thal?"

"Yeah?" Thalia looked up to meet Annabeth's eyes, her gaze softer than what they were used to.

"It's different this time, isn't it?" Annabeth remarked and Thalia smiled as they thought about Reyna and starting fresh with her, in San Francisco of all places, but even then, they still felt a rush of excitement. Starting fresh with the one person they call home.

As if on cue, Reyna came rushing by with a couple of boxes in her arms and set them down right outside in the hall.

Thalia felt their mouth tug into a wider smile when Reyna looked up and met their eyes.

"Yeah," they replied to Annabeth. "It is different. Good different."

Annabeth sent them a small but fond smile, squeezing their arm lightly, and went back to work with the dishes.

"What is?" Reyna asked, padding over to Thalia and tiredly leaning her head on their shoulder.

In just a pair of sweats and an old t-shirt with a couple of holes, Thalia thought Reyna never looked prettier.

"You are," they told her with a small chuckle, nuzzling her hair and kissing her temple tenderly.

"What? How am I different?" Reyna asked, pulling away to look at Thalia with a frown on her face.

"Not _you_ you, just..." Thalia trailed off, trying to find the right words to explain to her what they meant. "I'm uprooting my life for you."

"Are you..." Reyna stood in front of Thalia, hesitantly taking their hands in hers. "Are you having second thoughts?"

"God, no! Of course not!" Thalia blurted out in a rush. They couldn't have Reyna thinking that.

"Baby..."

Thalia squeezed Reyna's hand reassuringly and leaned their forehead against hers. They noticed from the corner of their eye Annabeth slipping out of the kitchen, probably to give the two of them more privacy. They appreciated it.

"We've been together for a long time, and every day, I'm still surprised by all the things that I used to say I'd never do for anyone and I still did for you anyway," they started, running their thumbs in small circles over the back of Reyna's hands. It was as much to soothe them as it was to soothe Reyna.

"You said that when we got matching tattoos," Reyna chuckled, using one hand to cup their cheek. "I never thought I'd ever get a tattoo either, until you."

"Didn't think I'd ever quit smoking," Thalia continued. "Though, I'm glad you got me to quit."

"Hmm," Reyna hummed, and then scrunched her nose as she added, "except for those occasional joints."

"Which you _always_ end up smoking with me!" Thalia retaliated and they both laughed softly. "I sold my bike."

"Only because you're upgrading to a better one in Stanford," Reyna muttered with a roll of her eyes.

Thalia grinned widely though, nodding their head enthusiastically. "And it's going to be awesome as fuck!"

"Sure, it will," Reyna chuckled softly, patting their cheek playfully. Thalia turned their face and pressed a small kiss to the inside of her hand.

"And I never thought I'd move across the country for anyone. I never thought I'd ever actually Manhattan," they murmured, their gaze meeting Reyna's a little nervously.

They were still determined to go no matter what. They were even excited about starting fresh. But they still occasionally got a few nervous butterflies in their stomach.

"I never thought I'd be attached to anyone enough to drag them across the country with me," Reyna replied teasingly, but her eyes were soft, full of understanding. It was hard, moving away from what you thought was always going to be your home and starting new. Reyna knew that.

But to Thalia, it didn't have to be so hard anymore. Reyna was their home. As long as they were with her, it honestly didn't matter to them where they were.

"Hey," Reyna whispered, holding their chin up between her thumb and pointer finger. Thalia looked up to meet her eyes, humming in response. "I love you, sparky."

Thalia beamed at her, puckering their lips to peck hers sweetly. "I love you more, hot stuff."

"Hmm, I love it when you reduce me to nothing but my sexual appeal!" She mumbled sarcastically, but her eyes were dancing in amusement. Thalia snorted, wrapping their arms around her waist as they hugged her close and smooched her cheek.

"Rey," Thalia said, smiling softly at her. "I really, really, really love you."

Reyna pretended to act surprised, her eyes slowly widening dramatically. "Wait, okay, you have to keep this a secret but..."

When she trailed off, Thalia furrowed their eyebrows in confusion. "What?"

Reyna visibly swallowed hard. "I... I think," she whispered. "I have a crush on you."

Thalia groaned loudly, smacking their forehead against her shoulder as they started shaking with laughter.

"ARE YOU SERIOUS? I've had a crush on you for four years too!" They exclaimed dramatically, elaborately opening their arms wide around them. "You can't tell anyone," they whispered, placing their index over Reyna's lips to hush her.

Reyna stuck her tongue out, licking their finger childishly as she wiggled her eyebrows at them. Thalia wasn't all that grossed out, I mean, they'd done worse in the past three years of dating. But they still rolled their eyes and retreated their hand back to their side.

"So, are we girlfriend and themfriend now?" Reyna whispered, using a voice that was clearly very audible to anyone nearby, much like a child would whisper.

"Hell, you guys are disgusting!" Nico exclaimed as he had just walked into the apartment.

"Disgustingly cute," Reyna shot back, smiling widely at Thalia. She leaned in, kissed their node softly, and finally pulled away to make her way over to their friends.

"No, just disgusting," Percy agreed, using a bunch of pieces of tape to close up a box.

"You guys aren't exactly better," Thalia shot back. "And you're heteros. It's like you're asking to be mocked!"

Annabeth rolled her eyes but for once she didn't snap back with some sort of witty remark. She knew Thalia had them there.

The group was done packing just after lunchtime. They sat around the pile of boxes eating a bunch of Subway sandwiches Grover had brought with him when he came to help out. All that was left was to take all the boxes down to the U-haul truck.

The apartment was left completely empty except for the furniture it had come with when they had first moved in. It made Thalia's stomach churn.

"Hey, the pets are in the car," Reyna announced, walking up to Thalia in the hallway as they were looking around the empty apartment through their camera's lens. "Nico said he doesn't mind driving the U-haul and we'll just follow him in the jeep."

Nico had flown from California to help Reyna and Thalia out a couple of days ago. And since he lived there, they were going to be driving back together. Honestly, he had saved them a great deal. Driving separately would have been too hectic for just the two of them. With all three, they could rotate shifts and save a lot of time.

"Alrighty," Thalia responded, still focused on their camera. They zoomed in on the spot on the wall where a painting clearly used to hang. The very first painting they had done of Reyna, back when it had all started.

"I'll see you downstairs, yeah?" Annabeth said, taking Thalia's free hand and squeezing it gently before making her way outside.

It was just Reyna and them left.

"Thalia," she said quietly, but Thalia could hear her clearly. You could hear a pin drop and probably echo now. "Would you put the camera away for a second, please?"

They took another few seconds of footage before finally pressing the red button to stop recording and switched the device off.

Reyna came up behind them, snaking her arms around their waist and lacing her fingers together just above their abdomen.

"Just... take it in for a moment."

Thalia nodded, covering Reyna's hands with theirs.

"I can't believe we're moving..." they whispered, too scared to make any loud noises. There was nothing to spook... nothing but themselves.

Reyna chuckled softly. "I still remember the first day you moved in."

Thalia smiled fondly at the memory. "As soon as you opened the door... I knew I was done for."

Reyna's lips spread into a smile against the skin of Thalia's shoulder. "Me too," she told them. "I remember seeing you, with your spiky hair, and all your rings and tattoos and that leather jacket, and your goddamn smirk and I thought, _I am going to hate this person so much, aren't I? But then again, why am I so attracted to them?"_

 _"_ I do have that effect on people," Thalia replied, that same smirk Reyna was just talking about painting their lips.

"Yeah, you really fucking do," Reyna agreed with a laugh. "And, well, I didn't know you were non-binary at first but, then Annabeth referred to you with _they_ and... I was just pretty much entranced, Thalia Grace."

"Too bad you wasted an entire year denying your feelings for me," Thalia joked, playing with Reyna's hands around their waist.

"Well, so did you," Reyna shot back defensively. Thalia laughed softly, turning around in her arms to look at her.

"I have something for you," Thalia said, sticking their hands into the pockets of their bomber jacket.

"Oh, yeah?" Reyna asked in surprise, lifting an eyebrow as she waited for Thalia to show her what their gift was.

"Yeah," Thalia nodded, pulling a small box from their pocket but keeping it hidden in the palm of their hand behind their back.

Then, they took Reyna's hand in their free one and pulled her all the way to the now-empty second bedroom that they had turned into Thalia's art space.

"Thals, what is it?"

"I wanna go up to the roof one last time," they explained briefly as they walked up to the window.

Reyna silently followed them up the fire escape all the way up to the roof but Thalia could tell she was dying to know what they had planned for her.

The roof looked pretty much the same. There were a couple of potted plants still there, a few fairy lights strung around the poles, and the two plastic chairs, set as far away from the edge as possible without obstructing the view if you were sitting down.

"My best project... I think, was the last shoot we had here, last summer," Thalia said softly, watching a couple of birds flying from one electric line to another.

It wasn't a project for any class. It was just for their own personal portfolio. It was way too hot that summer and the apartment had gotten too stuffy so they had come up here with a couple of cold beers and their swimsuits. Thalia had brought their camera up with them and Reyna looked way too hot not to photograph, especially with her new tattoo poking out from under her bikini's strap.

Reyna chuckled as she stood next to Thalia, looking in the same direction as them. "You just think so because I was half-naked that day."

Thalia breathed out a laugh, grinning toothily as they glanced sideways at Reyna. "Maybe... what do you think my best work was?"

"Our first shoot, easily," Reyna answered immediately, which surprised Thalia a little. Their friendship (well, they weren't sure it even qualified as a friendship, it wasn't even any kind of relationship) was at its lowest back then.

"Really?" Thalia asked, their surprise evident in their voice and their expression. "I think you can _feel_ the tension in those pictures when you look at them."

"Exactly," Reyna said, lacing her fingers with Thalia's. "But I think that day changed a lot of things. That was the first time you really opened up to me, I think. Even when you were visibly, I don't know, hiding behind a shield."

"I was... god," Thalia sighed, grimacing a little at the memory. "I was at rock bottom back then. And— it wasn't anyone's fault, I guess. Well, maybe Douchebag the Barista."

"Oh, no, jesus, I would like to not think about him right now, please, and thank you," Reyna groaned, shaking her head furiously.

Thalia still smiled, nuzzling Reyna's hair and kissing her temple softly.

"You came out to me right here," Thalia said with a grin, pointing at the two chairs and in particular, the one Reyna had been sitting on.

"I think that was the first time I thought we might actually be able to get along okay," Reyna said softly, squeezing Thalia's hand. "And the first time I realised I was actually really attracted to you."

"Which of course didn't make sense because we were always bickering?" Thalia guessed and Reyna laughed, agreeing with them. "Yeah, me too."

"We still bicker a lot," Reyna pointed out, which was pretty true.

"But we can have great make-up sex now, so there's that."

Reyna shoved their shoulder playfully but they were both laughing.

"Rey?"

"Yeah?"

"I wanna always bicker with you."

"What?" Reyna chuckled in confusion, turning to look at Thalia's face.

"I wanna bicker with you till like, the day I die," Thalia explained.

"Are you sure you want that? You'll be too old for the make-up sex," Reyna replied, making Thalia let out a very unattractive snort that almost made them choke.

"Yes, I'm sure," they still told her, looking in her eyes with nothing but sincerity in their eyes. "I love you, and I don't think I'm ever going to stop loving you."

Reyna smiled softly, cupping their cheek with her hand. "I love you too, baby," she murmured, kissing their lips sweetly. But Thalia wasn't done talking.

"I'm really bad with words, I think we've already established that—"

"Hey, give yourself some credit. You can get quite creative sometimes, especially when you're, you know..." Reyna gave them a suggestive smirk to which Thalia rolled their eyes and poked her side.

"Damn it, Reyna, will you let me talk?"

Reyna stifled her laughter and nodded her head, silently telling them to go on. Thalia took in a heavy breath and exhaled shakily, giving Reyna's hand a hesitant squeeze.

They were nervous, but for once, it had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that they were a couple of stories higher than they would have been comfortable.

Reyna seemed to have caught on. She seemed a little lost but she still smiled at Thalia, caressing their cheek with the pad of her thumb. It was comforting.

"Don't worry, I don't plan on pushing you off the edge. Not yet, anyway," Reyna joked, trying to lighten the mood and Thalia guessed to make them less nervous about their fear of heights. She didn't know this wasn't why they were nervous, but even so, it seemed to work.

Thalia breathed out a small laugh. "Just give me a heads up if I ever piss you off to that point."

"Will do," Reyna promised, grinning lopsidedly. "What's eating you up?"

"You, tonight, when we get to that hotel, and then tomorrow night, when we reach Stanford," Thalia couldn't help but joke.

"Well, grammatically speaking, I'm going to be eating you _out—"_ Reyna started to say and that was it. That was exactly why Thalia loved her so much. And that was exactly why they had brought her up here one last time. And they couldn't keep stalling forever. Screw the shitty speech they had prepared.

"Marry me," Thalia interrupted Reyna. It wasn't exactly a question, nor was it a statement, but there they were. Those two words that had been going over in their mind for the past year, maybe more.

It never seemed like the right time to come right out and ask her. At first, they were both still too busy with college. They were too young and still had huge parts of their individual lives, and life together, to figure out. And then they had graduated and they got busy with job applications and internships and getting their career paths in order. Reyna wanted to get into the best law schools out there while simultaneously interning at a big law firm. Thalia wanted to focus on their art and potentially work on getting their paintings and photographs in a gallery and getting commissioned, maybe even selling more prints and designs on clothes (those were selling like hotcakes online).

And then Reyna got accepted into Stanford Law School. And most of the other colleges she had applied to which didn't surprise Thalia one bit. Reyna worked harder than anyone they had ever met. But Stanford was her first choice and she always talked about it with so much determination as though she was willing to murder a man if it got her to that college. It was definitely not necessary with her perfect GPA and LSAT scores, but it wouldn't have been a total loss if she _had_ killed a man or two in Thalia's honest opinion.

They still remembered that day like it was yesterday. And yes, they were definitely in the middle of getting hot and dirty, and Reyna's phone had dinged. She hadn't paid much attention to it, but Thalia could see the bedside table clearly, and even with their dyslexia and their hair falling over their face, it was hard to miss the brightly lit words in bold letters that read: **STANFORD UNIVERSITY OFFICE OF ADMISSIONS.**

They had rushed to grab the phone and shove it in Reyna's face whose eyes instantly widened. She had pushed herself up to her feet and started pacing the room, too nervous to open the email. Thalia had offered to do it for her, but Reyna needed to know herself. It was hard to know the answer at first, when she dropped her phone on the bed next to Thalia and had walked over to the other side of the room, fingers pulling at her hair. Thalia grabbed the phone, struggling to read the letter with their nerves going haywire but they got the gist of it.

_Dear Ms. Ramírez-Arellano,_  
_We are delighted to inform you that you have been accepted to Stanford Law School—_

And that was about all Thalia could read. Reyna had turned back around, covering her face with her hands, still too shocked, but they were both so incredibly excited. They didn't sleep that night, not until the sun had begun rising at least.

They spent the next couple of weeks discussing how they would through it. There was no way in hell that Thalia would leg Reyna do anything but move to California. The only worry was whether or not Thalia would be willing to move there with her. Thalia was surprised to find that they had absolutely no trouble agreeing to it. There wasn't anything truly tying them to New York or anywhere else for that matter. No one except Jason. But he was doing his own thing now at college; they didn't have to keep an eye on him anymore.

They never really thought about the fact that it was California, and that it was in a place only less than an hour away from the city they had their worst years in. That came about a week or two before moving.

But with it also resurfaced the same thought: settling down with Reyna. They already acted like a married couple according to Percy and Annabeth and that they might as well make it official just like the pair had a couple of months prior. Thalia and Reyna had always brushed them off with a laugh, saying that it was a ridiculous idea. But recently, it didn't seem like such a ridiculous idea to Thalia anymore.

Settling down with Reyna felt right. The thought of buying a house with her in the future and living the whole domestic life they already did, in a town where everybody was friendly, with their two dogs and cat, and probably a new pet rabbit (Thalia was still trying to convince Reyna on that one), and hell, maybe even adopting an actual child. Thalia wasn't averse to the idea. They could see themselves having an actual conversation a few years from now with Reyna about a child.

Four years ago, they knew for a fact that they hated the idea of marriage. They constantly swore to anyone they knew that they were never going to walk down an aisle and exchange vows with anyone.

And yet here they were, popping the big question. Well... they had blurted it out, but it still counted, didn't it?

They watched as Reyna's smile slowly dropped, replaced instead by shock.

"What?" She breathed out, completely frozen in place.

Thalia wad started to get more nervous than ever. They had taken rejections before, but this... this wasn't one they were ready for. And they didn't think they would be able to take it. But still, they were determined.

"Marry me," Thalia repeated, trying to make their words as clear as possible. "I love you so much, Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano, and I really _really_ do wanna spend the rest of my life with you. Whether that's in California for the next four or ten years, or the fricken North Pole if you want. But I wanna be with you, wherever we may end up. I just... I love you and I wanna marry you. Shit, I never thought I'd move to California for anyone or, or quit smoking, or be so in love with someone that I want to have the whole marriage story with her. But I do. I want that. All of that. I want it with you."

Reyna was quiet. She was clearly absorbing everything Thalia had just thrown at her. Taking in every single word, analysing them. Thalia could clearly see her mind working overtime. And it drove the butterflies in their stomach absolutely crazy and their palms turn clammy. And that was when they remembered the little box.

They pulled their other hand out from behind their back, having completely forgotten about it, and held the velvet box out in front of them. They opened it slowly, revealing a small and pretty simple silver ring. There was an elegant botanical design around the band, but it wasn't too extravagant. Quite the opposite. And there was just a single, small rock in the middle. It wasn't flashy, it wasn't big, it wasn't too expensive. It was simple and elegant, and it was _Reyna._

As soon as they had found it at a vintage store while looking for new earrings with Annabeth and Phoebe, there was no turning back. They knew they wanted to give it to Reyna. They had instantly bought it and taken it to get it cleaned and resized, and when it was done, it was perfect.

Reyna looked at it, her eyes wide. "Thalia..."

"You hate it, don't you?" They breathed out, rubbing their face with their hand.

"No," Reyna replied instantly. "I hate _you."_

"What—" Thalia started when Reyna dug her hand into the pocket of her coat and pulled out a box, one very similar to the one Thalia was holding. "What is that?" Thalia asked, their words feeling heavy as their throat tightened.

Reyna opened the box, revealing a single silver band with a small, blue stone in the middle. There wasn't anything else on it, but there didn't need to be. It was beautiful and Reyna knew Thalia would love it.

"I was going to ask you as soon as we were settled in," Reyna told them and Thalia felt their breath hitch in their throat.

"So... you don't really hate me?"

"No, I love you, idiot," Reyna laughed. "I still hate you for beating me to it, though."

Thalia laughed along nervously. "You never answered my question."

"You never asked me a question," Reyna replied. Fair enough.

Thalia cleared their throat. "Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano, will you marry me?"

Reyna pulled her bottom between her teeth and moved in closer to Thalia, leaving barely any space between them. "Thalia Grace," she said, and they looked up, looking right into her eyes. "Will _you_ marry me?"

"Fuck, yes!" They exclaimed, leaning their head back to look at the sky.

Reyna laughed softly and snaked her arm around their waist. "Well, in that case..."

She wrapped her other arm around Thalia, pulling them as close to her as possible. "I would love to be your hot lawyer wife, Thalia Grace."

"Hmm... and I'll be the sexy stay at home dad, then?" They replied, grinning crookedly. "Don't worry, I won't sleep with the babysitter."

"We're gonna need a babysitter?" Reyna asked, raising her eyebrows. Thalia felt their cheeks burning.

"Maybe? I have no idea what the future holds," they replied, hopefully saving their own ass. One thing at a time.

"Hm, me neither. But as long as you're there," Reyna murmured, pushing a strand of Thalia's hair behind their ear.

"Mhm-mm," they hummed, their eyes flickering down to her lips.

Reyna noticed and with a small smirk, she closed the distance between them, her lips crashing into Thalia's. They kissed her back instantly, pouring in all of the rollercoaster of emotions they had just gone through.

"Te amo, cielo," Reyna whispered once she had finally pulled away, leaning her forehead against theirs. "Para siempre."

Thalia felt their heart constrict with the number of feelings bubbling up for this girl. God, they loved her so much.

They pulled the ring out of the box and slowly slipped it onto Reyna's ring finger. It fit perfectly. Reyna took their hand in hers and slipped their ring on. It immediately felt right, like it belonged there. The weight somehow felt familiar.

Thalia wrapped their arms around Reyna's frame, engulfing her in a tight hug.

"I can't wait to start over with you," they whispered in her ear, kissing her cheek softly.

Reyna hugged them tighter, burying her face in their neck.

There was a set of loud footsteps coming from the fire escape and pretty soon they were joined by Annabeth, Percy, Jason, Nico, and Grover.

"There you guys are," Jason said with a frustrated sigh. "What are you doing?"

Thalia shared a look with Reyna and they both broke into matching grins, unable to hide their excitement.

They both held out their hands, showing off their new rings which shone in the glaring sun.

"Oh my gosh..." Annabeth exclaimed, clapping her hand over her mouth. Thalia knew a squeal was coming any second now.

"Oh fuck," Nico said, his eyes wide in astonishment. "Yeah, these are going to be the most unbearable next two days of my life, aren't they?"

"Oh, shush and congratulate us!" Reyna snapped at him.

Nico grinned, the look in his eyes genuinely happy for them.

And before they even knew it, Annabeth was engulfing them in the tightest hug in the world.

"Congratulations, oh my god," she squealed excitedly. "How the hell did you manage to keep this a secret?"

"I'm good like that," Thalia replied with a wink.

"Neither one of us even suspected a thing," Reyna chuckled softly before lacing her fingers with Thalia's.

"You're both either big idiots or you're too good at this," Percy commented, grinning teasingly at the couple.

"I'd say it's the first one," Jason replied, and if Thalia wasn't so happy at that moment, they would have probably smacked him pretty hard.

"You can both suck my giant dick," Thalia responded instead, deciding to be the bigger person in this situation.

"It's a huge dick," Reyna added with a subtle wink which made Thalia choke on their own spit and everyone else gasp or groan in surprise. Reyna wasn't exactly a prude; they had all already established that. But she didn't always tag along whenever Thalia decided to be so vulgar.

"Jesus, that's my fucking sibling, Ramirez," Jason groaned, turning around while grimacing.

"Your sibling with a huge dick, apparently," Nico chimed, a crooked grin gracing his mouth.

If they didn't know him any better, they would have thought it was a pretty evil grin and not an amused one, given all the black in his outfit and his really long and shaggy hair.

"I'm out of here," Jason grumbled, already making his way down the ladder.

Thalia found themselves laughing pretty hard as they watched their brother leave.

"God, you're the best," they told Reyna, kissing the top of her hair harshly.

Reyna scrunched her nose and playfully shoved Thalia. But there was nothing playful about that. Not when they were this high up. They let out a small squeal, clinging on to their girlfriend's arm tightly to keep their balance.

"Giant dick, sure, but your balls are tiny," Reyna said, making all of their friends gasp audibly.

"Oh, she did not..." they heard Grover murmur.

"She totally did," Percy responded, his voice high-pitched as he wheezed with laughter.

"Reyna, I love you, so so much. You're literally my favourite person on earth. I could kiss you right now," Annabeth rambled, the most wicked of smiles adorning her face. Thalia hated it. "In fact, I am going to kiss you."

And before Reyna could stop her, Annabeth held her face and kissed her.

Reyna was left laughing awkwardly as Annabeth pulled back, shaking in laughter.

"This is classic," Nico wheezed.

"I hate you all. Literally all of you."

Thalia huffed and stormed downstairs, following their brother. They found him in the living room, flopped down on the old couch.

"Hey, brick face," they announced their presence, coming up behind him and giving his hair a good ruffle.

Jason turned around with a small smile on his face. "Hey, Thals. So, we're done talking about what's in your pants?"

Thalia chuckled, walking around the couch to sit next to him.

"I am. The rest of them aren't," they grunted as they fell down on the cushions. "If it makes you feel any better, my dicks are currently in one of the suitcases in the U-haul."

Jason grimaced some more, making Thalia grin playfully.

"It does _not_ make me feel better," he muttered, his entire body shivering in disgust.

The rest of the group soon joined them, and as soon as Thalia saw the ring on Reyna's finger, they instantly forgot whatever they were even pissed off about. The landlord had come by eventually to retrieve the apartment's keys and they all found themselves downstairs, standing in front of the U-haul on the sidewalk.

Thalia was very emotional. They tried their best not to cry, but hugging Jason goodbye was the hardest thing in the world. But he was going to be okay, they were sure of it. Saying goodbye to Annabeth was just as hard. The two of them had been inseparable for over ten years. But again, they knew they would be okay. Annabeth had already scheduled mandatory weekly FaceTime dates. Thalia wouldn't even dream of missing them. Even Percy and Grover got them pretty emotional. These boys were two of their best friends, anyway.

Halfway down the highway, Thalia found themselves tearing up just a little. They were incredibly happy, sure, but there was still that small, tiny pang of sadness. They were leaving the one city that had changed their life, after all. The one city that had literally every single person they ever knew.

Reyna noticed immediately. She dropped her right hand from the steering wheel and placed it comfortingly on Thalia's knee.

"What's wrong, cielo?" She asked, her voice just barely above the quiet music playing in the back.

They shook their head and wiped their face with the back of their hand before taking Reyna's hand in both of theirs. "Nothing, baby. It's just... overwhelming, I guess. But I'm great, I promise."

Reyna looked over for just a second, sending them a small, understanding smile, before turning her attention back to the road, driving right behind Nico in the U-haul truck.

"I know, I get it. Saying goodbye to Hylla yesterday was pretty hard."

Thalia held up Reyna's hand to their lips and kissed her knuckles softly. They rested their chin over their entwined hands and sniffled, smiling just a little.

"We have a wedding to plan now," Thalia murmured in realisation.

"You know what that means, right?" Reyna asked, glancing at them in the rearview mirror.

"Have Annabeth take care of all the planning?"

Reyna laughed, nodding her head. "Oh, definitely. And Hylla would definitely help out."

Thalia chuckled, leaning their head against the cold window and observing Reyna. They drove in silence for a whole stretch on the highway before Reyna spoke up again.

"You're staring at me in that creepy way you always do," she teased them and honestly, Thalia couldn't get out of this one. They've known since the beginning that Reyna has secret eyes that always knew whenever they were staring at her. They couldn't help it. She was breathtaking.

"And I'm not going to stop," Thalia responded, grinning at her.

"I never said I wanted you to," Reyna replied, sending them a quick grin in response.

The next two days went by pretty fast. By the time they had finally made it to California, it was very early in the morning. They parked in front of their new apartment complex and parted ways with a very sleep-deprived and grumpy Nico.

The sun was only just rising, and they wouldn't be getting their keys for another couple of hours, so Thalia and Reyna walked around the block while the whole town was still asleep, getting to know the place they were going to be calling home now.

There a couple of interesting restaurants and coffee shops around the block, even a bar that seemed pretty cool for the occasional fun Friday night. They even walked past a cool music store Thalia promised to come back and check out when it was open. They stopped at a little diner that was just opening up and sat for some coffee and breakfast. They were both too tired to talk, but there wasn't really any need for it. At this point, they could communicate without a single word.

At seven o'clock, they walked back over to their new place, only getting lost twice. The new landlord handed them their keys and showed them around the place and Thalia wasn't going to lie... they were especially excited about the much larger space. It was only a one-bedroom apartment, but it was still much more spacious than their cramped two-bedroom back in Manhattan. And there was a real balcony, with actual balcony space. They wouldn't have to climb up ten flights of stairs for a breath of fresh air. Even then, though, they knew they were still going to try and check out the rooftop. It was a constant in their life they couldn't give up.

And when they were finally alone, the apartment littered with boxes everywhere and the u-haul truck returned to its company, they stood there in the middle of their new and empty bedroom with Aurum and Argentum running excitedly about the place and Katara already curled up on the shelf, taking yet another nap.

There wasn't any actual music playing, but Thalia held Reyna close, and they swayed together to a random rhythm. But it was still one that was soothing.

"This is going to be great," Reyna whispered, her voice determined. "We're gonna be happy here," she continued, and Thalia had absolutely no doubt about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> phewwww okay... you've reached the end of this rollercoaster of a story, omg. First of all, i'd like to thank you all so so much for all the love and support youve given this story. writing it has been one of the best escapes I've had recently and just, every single kudos or comment was always the highlight of my day. And second of all, i just can't believe we're finally here... honestly reyna and thalia have been the only thing keeping me sane recently.  
> i might work on new aus in the near future since i have some free time coming up, so keep an eye for those! i already have a couple of oneshots posted if you're interested!  
> Anyway, thank you guys so much! i hope you have a wonderful holiday. Stay safe, and always treat people with kindness. I love you all.  
> your fav theyna author, Lou x <3

**Author's Note:**

> hey guys! I hope you enjoyed this story so far :) thank you for reading and all constructive criticism is always welcome!!! please don’t be afraid to leave a comment with your thoughts!! kudos would be appreciated 🥺 i love you all x
> 
> ps: BE RESPONSIBLE AND WEAR YOUR MASKS PLEASE <3


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